TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has extended the submission period of Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the 2025 Livelihood Subprojects MARLIN 2.1 Component of the FishCore or Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project.
BFAR has extended the deadline from March 31 to April 30, 2025.
This is to give more time to local government units (LGUs), fisherfolk associations, and cooperatives within the Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 9-covered areas in the provinces of Bohol and Siquijor to submit their EOI.
For the province of Bohol, the FMA 9 areas include the municipalities of Alburquerque, Anda, Baclayon, Candijay, Dauis, Dimiao, Duero, Guindulman, Garcia Hernandez, Jagna, Lila, Loay, Mabini, Panglao, Ubay, Valencia, and President Carlos P. Garcia.
Meanwhile, the municipalities of Larena, Lazi, Maria, San Juan, and Enrique Villanueva are included in the province of Siquijor.
To qualify, the criteria for fishermen’s associations/cooperatives include the following: members must be registered or in the process of being registered with the BFAR, associations must be accredited by the LGU and registered under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), must have at least 15 individual members, and members must be willing to undergo training provided by the FishCoRe Project.
In addition, the proposed livelihood activities must be aligned with or not inconsistent with the FMA Plan development under FishCoRe, and applicants must be willing to prepare a simple and short proposal using the project’s standard template.
If the proposal is less than P5 million, an EOI must accompany the proposal, must have fully liquidated any previous loans or credit funds received from government-funded projects, and must promote sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices and ensure that members comply with existing fishing legislation, resource management, and regulatory measures under the Fisheries Management Plan.
LGUs may submit their EOI using the prescribed format available at https://tinyurl.com/EOI-Livelihood for any eligible fisherfolk associations or cooperatives within their jurisdiction.
The organization’s profile and required supporting documents must be sent to [email protected] or [email protected] not later than April 30, 2025.
Fisherfolk associations and cooperatives endorsed by LGUs within FishCoRe areas will have the opportunity to access Livelihood Projects and Capacity-Building Trainings.
These initiatives are designed to enhance fisheries management, improve technical practices and strengthen community resilience. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)
