SENATORS on Thursday grilled agriculture officials over the department’s decision to approve the importation of 60,000 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fishes despite opposition from fisheries industry stakeholders and an agreement with a multisectoral council.
Senators led by Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, were furious over Agriculture Secretary WIlliam D. Dar’s decision to allow the importation of 60,000 MT of small pelagic fishes.
Senators wanted to know why Dar pushed through with his importation decision despite a unanimous recommendation from the multi-sectoral advisory body National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) not to allow additional import volume since the country has “sufficient supply.”
“You met with the NFARMC with regards to this. You had an agreement. But why did you not honor that? Why didn’t you do what you agreed upon?” Villar told agriculture officials present at the committee’s hearing on Thursday.
“Explain to us. You met with the NFARMC, you made an agreement, but you did not follow that agreement,” Villar told Dar’s subordinates.
Agriculture Undersecretary Cherl Marie Natividad-Caballero confirmed that the NFARMC was unanimous in recommending the non-importation of small pelagic fishes for the first quarter.
Natividad-Caballero also disclosed that she chaired the NFARMC deliberations and is also a signatory to the body’s resolution.
Natividad Caballero explained that Dar approved the importation based on his “sound judgment” as the department head with the final decision about the matter, since NFARMC only has a recommendatory power.
“It is more on the supply analysis,” she added.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) proposed the importation of 66,000 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fishes to plug the shortfall in domestic supply which stood at 119,000 MT.
“What is the explanation [on] why Dar did not follow the NFARMC?” Villar wanted to know.
Importation mindset
Villar and Sen. Imee Marcos, who chairs the Economic Affairs committee, also questioned the DA’s importation “mindset” when it comes to addressing shortfall in domestic supply, pointing out that the department has abandoned its developmental mandate of helping the farmers improve their production.
“Bakit kayo, laging importation ang palagi ninyong mindset? Pag may kulang, importation. Tinamaan ng Odette, importation. Bakit hindi kayo magprogram para maka-recover ang fisherfolk sa Odette. Wala kayong programa [Why is importation always your mindset? If there’s a shortfall, it’s importation. Odette struck, and you import. Why don’t you have a program to help fisherfolk recover from Odette?],” Villar said.
“When you decide about policies, you should consider the small farmers. It’s not the rich that we are helping,” Villar said, adding, partly in Filipino: “People are starting to notice that of him [Dar]—that every time there is a problem, he will allow importation. Why? Why can’t there be a developmental approach on the ground to help the poor Filipinos?” Villar added.
Villar also chided agriculture officials for Dar’s absence from the hearing. Agriculture Undersecretary Leo Sebastian reported that Dar is in Dubai to attend trade fairs and exhibits as well as partake in some negotiations.
“There’s an official trip of various government departments here in Dubai. [In] our case we are encouraging more foreign direct investments in agriculture in the Philippines,” Dar said in a Viber message to BusinessMirror.
The NFARMC members have remained firm that the government’s additional 60,000 MT importation of small pelagic fishes is unnecessary since the country has sufficient supply. (Related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/01/24/das-move-to-import-fish-stirs-more-questions/)
The BusinessMirror earlier reported that the government could earn as much as P30 million from the 60,000 MT importation of small pelagic fishes as it required importers to pay P500 for every metric ton of fish that they will import.
The DA issued Administrative Order (AO) 01 of 2022 outlining the guidelines for the implementation of the 60,000 MT importation of small pelagic fishes to boost local supply and prevent price spikes in the first quarter.
Dar have earlier cited the factors he considered in issuing the 60,000 MT Certificate of Necessity (CNI): the P3-billion losses incurred by the fisheries sector, the need to curb the contribution of fish to rising food inflation, and persisting logistical problems hindering the smooth transport of food products.
“The fisheries subsector is the number one subsector badly hit by Odette. The capacity of our fishermen to catch will be in question,” he said.
“We also continue to see inflation and high prices of fish, which is second to pork in terms of contribution to overall food inflation,” he added.