PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — Reymark Canani has been dependent on fishing for decades to support his family. His catch depends on the condition of the weather, which is a factor in how much he could earn to meet their daily needs.
Canani did not expect that his main source of income would disappear after super typhoon Odette heavily impacted Roxas town in 2021. His boat was damaged along the shores of Barangay 4.
“Durog talaga ‘yong bangka ko. Mahirap talaga magtayo at magsimula uli. Kapag nagpalaot, makabenta ng P500, kalahati lang yong mapunta sa akin. Malaking kaibahan pag sarili talaga,” he said.
Canani’s experience is one of the stories of hundreds of fishermen who had the same fate during the super typhoon Odette. Noli Buñag recalled seeing his boat hang in the mangrove area. It pushed him to go back to construction to survive their needs.
But Canani and Buñag can now go back to fishing after the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) provided some 66 fiberglass boats to affected fishers like them in Roxas.
Some of the 66 fishermen who are beneficary of fiberglass boat in Roxas town. (Photo by Rachel Ganancial)
In collaboration with Western Philippines University (WPU), fishermen were taught how to make their own fiberglass boats, which they completed in a month.
Roxas is one of the six towns to receive fiberglass boats under the science and technology intervention to aid in the recovery of fishing livelihoods in typhoon Odette-affected communities in northern Palawan.
The department recorded 389 beneficiaries from the municipalities of Roxas, Cagayancillo, Taytay, Araceli, San Vicente, and Dumaran with a budget of P35M. The provided boats also come with engines, rudder assembly, propellers, and boat accessories.
Fishermen also received P6,000 through the cash-for-work scheme. The project was funded through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF).
DOST Sec. Renato Solidum, Jr., speaks before fishermen of northern Palawan. (Photo by Rachel Ganancial)
DOST Sec. Renato Solidum, Jr., who personally joined the turnover, explained that it can assure durability and longer use for fishermen. It will also help to lessen the dependency on the forest for the wood material.
“This is a model that is somewhat different from the usual way nang pag-implement ng NDRRMC. Kasi kadalasan diretso sa construction or LGU. Sa tingin ko napaganda ito dahil naipadaan sa ahensiya na ang layunin ay science and technology,” he said.
Collaborating with experts from WPU and helping locals make their own boats is like building an ecosystem where the means of helping the community are not through a dole-out scheme.
Provincial S&T Director Engr. Pacifico Sariego III explained that the department visited and assessed the impacted areas and immediately submitted a proposal. It took a year to get project approval and funds.
Aside from fiberglass boats, Sariego also mentioned other interventions of the department for Palaweños to help them in innovative solutions such as solar power support to agriculture industry, RxBoX in some rural health units, and ice maker in Cagayancillo.
“Ginawa natin solar na may diesel na backup—Bibilhin din nila yong ice pero ang nag-o-operate ay economic enterprise ng munisipyo,” he said. (RG/PIA Mimaropa – Palawan)
