BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-BFAR-CAR) turned over the Municipal Multi-specie Fish Breeding Center to the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) on September 5, 2022.
The Municipal Multi-species Fish Breeding Center located in Sitio Lubo of Barangay Talubin is the first breeding center to be maintained by a Municipal LGU in the whole Mountain Province.
The DA-BFAR-CAR provided ₱2.3-million for the improvement of the breeding center while the Bontoc LGU provided an additional fund amounting to ₱100,000.00 as its counterpart.
According to Administrative Officer IV Ross Kiat-ong of the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist (OMAg), the improvement of the breeding center which commenced in December 2021 will not only cater to the demand of quality fingerlings in the municipality but will also serve as a learning and research facility for the students as well as the community.
Kiat-ong added that the initial breeding operation would include three fish species namely tilapia, carp, and Japanese Fish.
BFAR’s Provincial Field Officer Martha Estima who represented Regional Director Lilibeth Signey, CESO IV, mentioned that the availability of an operational breeding center will reduce mortality during fry transport previously experienced from sourcing out fingerlings from neighboring provinces.
Further, Estima solicited the support of the local fisherfolks for the center’s sustainability and development.
Meanwhile, Bontoc Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., expressed his gratitude to the DA-CAR for showing its constant and continued support to the municipality.
Mayor Tudlong added that the breeding center would be a great avenue for further development in the agriculture sector as it would provide employment and business opportunities.
Also, he assured the support of the Bontoc LGU to the local fisherfolks as one of the pillars of the current administration is Economic Empowerment which focuses on the promotion of organic agriculture and recovery of local enterprise.
In his closing message, Vice Mayor Eusebio Kabluyen solicited the support of the fisherfolks in the barangay for the development of the breeding center as it would be greatly beneficial not only within the community but the municipality as a whole.
