CAN

RECEIVED eA

Republic of the Philippines oareNOV 11 ang
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES :

Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 5416

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE LEONARDO L. BABASA, JR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Kumalarang is a coastal municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur.
It is known in the province as one of the best growers of finest crabs, prawns
and various kinds of fishes. It has a total of 1,096.0 hectares of area currently
operating and dedicated to fishponds with 386.5 tons of produce per year.
Hence, it has become one of the sources of living of the local farmers thereat.

However, since there is no hatchery in the locality, farmers engaged in this
livelihood are always confronted with high cost of fingerlings which are
commonly sourced from neighboring provinces of Surigao, Zamboanga del
Norte, Misamis Oriental and Occidental. Likewise, transporting these species
results to low survival rate during seeding and growing period considering the
distance and travel time spent.

In order to combat these risks, the establishment of a multi-species marine
hatchery in the Municipality of Kumalarang is essential. This marine hatchery
will help boost high production output of the farmers while ensuring food
sufficiency, with the end goal of catering to the needs of neighboring
municipalities.

It is therefore recommended that the foregoing bill be approved.

Zamboanga del Sur


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. Sate

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE LEONARDO L. BABASA, JR.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A MULTI-SPECIES MARINE HATCHERY IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF KUMALARANG, PROVINCE OF ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in the
Congress assembled:

Section 1. There shall be established, under the supervision of the
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture
(BFAR-DA), a multi-species marine hatchery in the Municipality of
Kumalarang, Province of Zamboanga del Sur.

Section 2. The BFAR-DA shall, within three (3) years after the
establishment of the multi-species marine hatchery, transfer the management
of the same to the local government concerned through a Memorandum of
Agreement. The BFAR-DA shall implement a training and phasing-in program
for the LGU-Kumalarang personnel on the management and operation of the
multi-species marine hatchery.

The BFAR-DA in cooperation with the LGU-Kumalarang shall conduct
continuing research and experimentation on the breeding and production of
marine species, especially as they apply to local conditions, to discover new
methods and technology that shall benefit the fisheries industry.

Section 3. The Secretary of Agriculture shall include in the
Department's programs the establishment of multi-species marine hatchery
in the Municipality of Kumalarang, Province of Zamboanga del Sur, the
funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations. The
Local government unit concerned shall set aside funds from any available
local revenue in an amount deemed appropriate for the operationalization of
the hatchery.

Section 4. Within sixty (60) days from the approval of this Act, the
Department of Agriculture shall issue the rules and regulations on the
supervision, monitoring, transfer, or withdrawal by the BFAR of the multi-
species marine hatchery.

Section 5. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,