Mayor Lucilo Bayron has asked the regional office of the agriculture department for assistance in establishing an integrated fish port in Puerto Princesa City.
He stated Monday at the city hall’s flag raising ceremony that he informed Department of Agriculture (DA) regional executive director Maria Christine Inting about the fish port during her visit last week.
The one-stop-shop facility, he believes, would provide fishing vessels and crews with a variety of vital supplies and services, as well as allow them to land their catch in Puerto Princesa.
“Pinaabot ko yong ating pangarap na makapag establish ng isang integrated fish port—humingi tayo ng suporta nila sa DA,” Mayor Bayron said.
But, he did not disclose specifics about Inting’s response.
He said previously that they plan to establish the Puerto Princesa Integrated Fish Port on the east coast in Brgy. Buenavista as it is near the province’s fishing grounds.
According to him, the 2013 Philippine Fisheries and Development Authority Report claimed that Palawan supplied 38% of fish that landed in Navotas, 30% in Lucena, 32% in Iloilo, and 25% in General Santos, amounting to 170 metric tons of fish harvested.
The city government would be responsible for site development, including reclamation, rockworks, commercial port and fish landing, breakwater, causeway construction, needed horizontal projects, and fuel stations, with an estimated P1.6 billion budget that will be funded by a bank loan.
He asked the private sector to fund, construct, establish, and operate inside the fish port under PPP, joint venture, or long-term lease, a cold storage, processing plant, ice plant, commercial shops for fishing needs and other supplies, banks, money transfers, and wholesale and retail fish markets.
The city water district, on the other hand, will construct a fresh water station.
He also said in March that they presented the project to the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which had committed to assist the city government.
Bayron stated that the city is particularly interested in technical support from KOICA.
“Ngayon nangako ito na baka meron silang maitulong sa atin. I’m sure marami silang maitutulong sa atin,” he said
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