Photo shows the turnover ceremony of the fiberglass boats from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to the City Government during activities held at the City Hall Atrium. The turnover event took place on Aug. 4, 2021. In the photo are (from left) Manga Brgy. Capt. Deogracia Dalida, City Agrivet Officer Dr. Genette Egos, City Mayor John Geesnell Yap, Bool Brgy. Kagawad Raul Bugash BFAR provincial director Candido Samijon, and First Lady Jane Yap. Contributed photo
Protection of the city’s marine sanctuaries and sustainable livelihood to the fisherfolks, these are just two of the benefits that Tagbilaran City could get from the newly turned over fiberglass boats from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Aquatic Fisheries and Resources (BFAR) thru the Provincial Government and received by the Tagbilaran City local government unit (LGU).
In a simple turnover ceremony held in the City Atrium, Tagbilaran City on Aug. 4, 2021, Mayor John Geesnell Yap II thanked the DA and the BFAR for making the donation of fiberglass boats possible.
“These boats will be a major reinforcement to the monitoring and patrolling of our marine sanctuaries. We are aware that marine sanctuaries are important in the protection of rare and endangered species. Furthermore, protecting them can help preserve habitats that are considered critical for marine species survival,” Mayor Yap said.
Gugma Tagbilaran founder and First Lady Jane Yap said that the assistance coming from the said national government agencies is a concrete testament of the strong partnership between the national, provincial, and local governments.
The two (2) units of non-motorized fiberglass boats and three (3) units motorized fiberglass boats will be used to patrol along the shorelines of barangays Manga, Ubujan, Booy, Bool, and Taloto.
Barangay Captains Deo Dalida of Manga, Eugene Zamora of Taloto, Mary Jane Ruiz of Ubujan, and Tata Angalot of Bool were in attendance during the turnover ceremony.
The director of the Provincial Fisheries Office of the BFAR Candido Samijon said that fiberglass is a durable material. Fiberglass boats are more dependable compared to wooden boats.
“Wooden boats could be used up to three years and require some maintenance while fiberglass boats could last up to 20 years with less maintenance,” Samijon said.