Congress passed into law 11 local bills for the establishment of multi-species marine hatcheries in various locations nationwide. The bills were sponsored by Senator Cynthia Villar during the 18th Congress. Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, has pushed for these measures to be enacted into law due to the high agriculture poverty incidence in the fisheries sector. “The productivity of our marine fisheries resources has been declining because of environmental degradation and ineffective natural resources management,” Villar said, adding that “the significant reduction in the country’s fish catch, Villar said, has compromised food sufficiency and income of our people.”

Araneta, M. R. (2022, July 4). Congress OKs bills on marine hatcheries in PH. Manila Standard, p. A3.