As the central agency mandated by law to conduct Pre Registration Seminar (PRS), the Cooperative Development Authority – La Union Sub-Office and Department of Agriculture (DA) – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region I conducts a one day Fisherfolk Cooperative Pre-Registration Seminar for the 62 – Footer Ring Net Boat and Lambaklad Project Partner-Beneficiaries held at BFAR RFOI Conference Hall on June 16, 2022. This seminar is being held in accordance with Republic Act 9520, also known as the “Cooperative Code of the Philippines of 2008,” in order to fulfill the mandate in Section 15, Article XII of the Constitution, which states that the declared State policy is “to promote the viability and growth of cooperatives as instruments of equity, social justice, and economic development, and to create an agency.”
The seminar was attended by thirty (30) and twenty-two (22) fishermen’s associations from Sto. Tomas and Bacnotan, respectively. This seminar intends to convert these associations into cooperatives in order to help them capacitate and sustain the projects that will be given to them. The seminar attendees were enlightened and enthused about cooperatives, and they pledged to work toward forming cooperatives following seminar. Correspondingly, they requested that another round of Pre-Registration Seminars be held in their respective municipalities for their members who were unable to attend.
The activity was realized through the supportive team from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Central Office, headed by Mr. Raphael Ramiscal, Chief Capture Fisheries Division and Napoleon Lamarca, Center Chief Marine Fisheries and Multi Mission Vessel Operation Center in cooperation with the BFAR RI, and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Region I Extension Office, helped lead by CDS II/PCDS of La Union Constancia A. De Guzman. Several BFAR officials and personnel also attended the seminar, demonstrating a genuine manifestation of the two agencies’ partnership.
Mr. Henry Canlas, Senior Aquaculturist and the focal person of this program, and Ms. De Guzman will collaborate to facilitate their on-line registration.
To expedite implementation and collaboration, the CDA and BFAR signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on March 24, 2021. (Ms. Constancia A. de Guzman, CDS II/PCDS of LU)
