A labor group appealed to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday to extend due assistance to some 50,000 workers, who will be affected by the latest round of government-imposed fishing ban in the Zamboanga Peninsula. “We are calling out to the Labor Department to reach out and provide safety nets to thousands of fishermen and sardine canning workers in the region who will not have a stable source of income… in view of the spawning season,” Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) spokesman Alan Tanjusay said in a statement. ALU-TUCP issued the statement as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) implements its temporary ban on commercial fishing in Region 9 starting today up to April 2018.

Medenilla, S. P. (2017, December 1). Gov't aid sought for Zambo fishermen. Manila Bulletin, p. 5.