The month of May every year is proclaimed as Farmers and Fisherfolk Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 33 issued on May 21, 1989, to recognize the roles and contributions of farmers and fisherfolk in alleviating poverty, ensuring food security and sustainability. To mark this yearβs celebration, the DA-BFAR Bikol held a symbolic ceremony for the Installation of the Mangingisdang Direktor on May 2, 2024, at the BFAR Regional Office in Bula, Camarines Sur.
Arnel V. Bitome, Municipal FARMC Chairperson of San Andres, Catanduanes, was officially sworn-in as the 19th Mangingisdang Direktor (MD) earlier today before Regional Director, Ariel U. Pioquinto. One of the highlights of the event was the symbolic turnover of the key of leadership from RD Pioquinto to MD Bitome where the fisherfolk leader will symbolically take on the role of the bureau Director to get a firsthand look at the agencyβs daily operations, management, and program implementation, by virtue of the Department of Agriculture Special Order No. 88 (Mangingisdang Direktor para sa Matatag na Balikatan Program) and BFAR Fisheries Office Order No. 080 series of 2005.
Meanwhile, MD Bitome also handed over the fishing boat paddle to RD which symbolizes the directorβs immersion in the coastal communities to have a firsthand experience of the life of a fisherfolk.
βBilang Mangingisdang Direktor, lubos akong nagpapasalamat sa tiwalang ipinagkaloob na ito sa akin. Gagawin ko sa abot ng aking makakaya na magampanan ang responsibilidad na ibinigay sa akin. Ang
10-point agenda na aking tututukan ay ang mga isyu na ilinatag ng aming samahan ng mga Mangingisdang Lider ng Bikol. Bagamaβt isang buwan lamang ang pagtatalaga sa isang Mangingisdang Direktor, gagawin ko ang aking tungkulin upang mabigyan ng tugon ang mga agenda na aming isusulong. Maraming salamat sa BFAR, sa LGU San Andres, sa NGO na WWF at mga kasamahan kong mangingisdang lider sa SAMARAL, sa tiwalang ibinigay ninyo sa akinβ MD Bitome said in his acceptance message.
Honorable Mayor Atty. Leo Mendoza of San Andres Catanduanes expressed his gratitude to BFAR for the Mangingisdang Direktor Program. He also emphasized the LGUβs appreciation and full support to the undertakings of Direktor Bitome.
As part of the occasion, BFAR Bikol bestowed Charles Capricho, the first National Mangingisdang Direktor, a Lifetime Achievement Award for his exceptional commitment and dedication that significantly contributed in the success of the fisherfolk initiative and the betterment of the bureau. Additionally, the unveiling of the Fisherfolk Legacy Wall was held where the MDs from 2005 up to present were highlighted.
Anchored on this yearβs theme: βKagitingan ng Mangingisdang Pilipino, sa Bagong Pilipinas, Ipagdiwang natin itoβ, the Mangingisdang Direktor Program was designed to further dramatize and strengthen the partnership between the fisherfolk and the government.