Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 17) —The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Tuesday said that any approved confidential funds will be used for law enforcement to fight smuggling in the fisheries sector.
Sen. Koko Pimentel said the Senate can recommend an allocation of confidential funds to BFAR if it will be able to show which of its anti-smuggling programs needs such funding.
“Siguro alam ninyo na ang BFAR ang isa sa mga ahensya na napupusuan, na bibigyan ng additional confidential funds,” Pimentel said during a finance hearing on the 2024 budget of the Department of Agriculture and its attached agencies. “So that means you must be playing a very critical role in the fight against smuggling.”
[Translation: Maybe you already know that BFAR is one of the agencies that is favored to be given additional confidential funds.]
BFAR Director Demosthenes Escoto said he is confident of the role of the bureau in combating smuggling in fishery products.
Pimentel asked which components of the BFAR program are involved in anti-smuggling that can be supported by confidential funds.
“It can be distributed in three particular items…that will be monitoring control surveillance, that will be for law enforcement, quality control inspection for the second border inspection, and then quarantine registration and licensing for accreditation of cold storages,” Escoto replied.
Two weeks ago, a cold storage in Navotas was closed and a big processing plant in Cavite was charged with violation of anti-smuggling law, he added.
Pimentel then noted that all of these achievements came before BFAR was given any confidential funds.
Escoto said the bureau has no confidential funds for 2023. He added that it was able to conduct operations using its dedicated budget for regulatory programs.
BFAR’s proposed 2024 budget is ₱7.871 billion.
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