The combined effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent steep rise in the prices of fuel products and other commodities meant that farmers and fisherfolk in Laguna province have been walking on a tightrope, so to speak, as they struggle to provide for their families.
With the country on the verge of a food crisis on multiple sectors, food crisis, agricultural groups have urged the government to do away with its "imports-centered" approach to solving the crisis and instead sustain local farmers and fishers.
One of these supposed measures that aim to help out our local agricultural workers is the fuel subsidy that was recently given out to farmers and fisherfolk in the province of Laguna.
This consists of one-time payments of P3,000 that were supposed to help these agricultural workers defray the cost of the fuel they use – not a large amount, but already a significant relief in the wake of rising fuel prices.
However, a fishermen's group recently claimed that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), one of the agencies tasked to distribute the financial assistance, has been "selective" in giving out fuel subsidies to fishermen in Laguna province – an accusation the agency has vehemently denied.
Tambiolo system
The allegations that BFAR had been “selective” in distributing fuel subsidies for fisherfolk in Laguna province was first brought by Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) Spokesperson Ronnel Arambulo.
In news reports carried by the Manila Bulletin and Bulatlat, a “progressive” news website on August 20 and 21, Arambulo said he had received reports that fuel subsidy beneficiaries were allegedly identified using a “tambiolo” or raffle system.
The PAMALAKAYA spokesperson claimed that only 25 fishers per coastal barangay in Laguna province were “drawn out” to receive the P3,000 fuel subsidy.
Local officials allegedly opted for the “raffle” system after the BFAR set a quota of 25 fishermen per barangay to receive the subsidy, Arambulo added, citing reports he received from PAMALAKAYA’s local chapters in the provinces of Laguna and Rizal.
The group also reported that in coastal barangays in Rizal province, 15 were disqualified because their boats have yet to be registered due to budget constraints. They, too, used the tambiolo to identify eligible beneficiaries.
Arambulo said the "tambiolo" system is unfair to the fisherfolk who now have to shell 80 percent of their production cost on fuel costs.
“[The fuel subsidy] is not, and should not be a game of chances for our ailing fishing sector. Our livelihoods and the oil crisis should be addressed seriously. We vehemently denounce this questionable method of distributing fuel subsidies to fisherfolks,” Arambulo said.
Fishermen's fault?
Officials of the BFAR were quick to deny Arambulo's claims, saying that complaints that some fishermen in the province were denied the allegations of “raffle system” among fuel subsidy beneficiaries in the province.
In a statement posted on BFAR – Region 4A's social media sites last August 31, various officials concerned with the fishing industry in Laguna province claimed that their own investigation yielded no complaints against the alleged "tambiolo" system used in identifying fuel subsidy beneficiaries.
“Akin lang pong bibigyan ng diin na wala pong katotohanan ang kumakalat na balita tungkol sa raffle ng fuel subsidy sa Laguna. Ang BFAR po ay sumusunod sa guidelines sa pagpapatupad o pamamahagi ng mga ayuda. Huwag po kayong maniniwala sa mga balita. Hindi ko po kilala si Ronnel Arambulo, ni hindi ko siya nakakausap," Jimmy Lapus, chairperson of the Laguna Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council, was quoted by the agency as saying.
But what may not sit well with some fishermen in the province is the statement made by Lauro Protacio, chairperson of the Laguna de Bay Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council, who claimed the problem was with some fishermen who failed to register with the BFAR.
“Sa aking kapwa mangingisda, yung isyu po na pinalalabas ni G. Ronnel Arambulo na sinasabi na ang BFAR daw po ay namimili lamang ng mga binibigyan, kesyo pinapa-raffle pa daw ito, iyon po ay walang katotohanan. Ang naging problema lamang po sa atin ay ang ating mga mismong mangingisda na hindi nakarehistro sa BoatR [boat registration list]. Kaya po ang naging kasalanan din ay nasa mangingisda natin," Protacio said.
As of the writing of this article, PAMALAKAYA has yet to issue a statement in response to the statement of BFAR and local fisheries officials to their claims.