With open arms, fisherman Alejo Gratico and his neighbors welcomed two men from a nongovernment organization (NGO) who arrived in Surigao City in 2008. At last, help finally came to the remote fishing community in Sitio Pag-ayawan in Day-asan village, Gratico thought. “They promised to give us 100 lobster fingerlings. That would fetch some P25,000. They said it was a grant from the BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources). All we had to do was to sign documents,” Gratico recalled. Orprecio said that apart from providing a sustainable source of income for fisherfolk, the long-term impact of the project was increasing the production and providing a steady supply of quality aquaculture products, such as lobsters, to the local and export markets.

Rodriguez, M. C. (2015, June 21). Fishing village survives 'pork' scam. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A13.