A Filipino legislator has introduced a bill proposing the establishment of a separate cabinet department for fisheries and aquatic resources to supersede the current subordinate agency of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA).
Congressman Harold James T. Duterte, who represents the Puwersa ng Pilipinong Pandagat (literally "Filipino maritime force") party-list in the Philippines' Lower House, introduced House Bill 2065, also known as the "Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) Act," on Thursday, July 17.
The text of the bill states that the DFAR would serve as the primary policy and regulatory body on fisheries and aquatic resources in the Philippines, in place of the existing Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) under the DA.
"The proposed measure will not only streamline the bureaucratic functions related to the fisheries and aquaculture industry, but also empower an independent government agency that will conserve, promote, and develop the industry [and] champion the rights of Filipino fishermen," Duterte wrote in the bill's introductory statement.
As the main fisheries enforcement body of the Philippine Government, the BFAR currently operates a fleet of patrol and support vessels, some of which are locally built.