About 20,000 fisherfolk registered under the Municipal Fishing Vessels and Gears Registration in the Ilocos Region are set to receive fuel subsidies amid rising fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East, an official announced Thursday.

Martin Allayban, officer in charge of the training division of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 1 (Ilocos Region), said the number is as of February this year, with about 2,000 more submitted by local government units to BFAR for approval.

“The registration to BoatR is continuous. We have around 2,000 fisherfolk that are being verified. We are still waiting for more submissions,” he said in an online forum.

BoatR is a national program designed to enhance and complete the nationwide registration of municipal fishing vessels (three gross tons and below) and fishing gear, as required under Executive Order 305, series of 2004, and the Philippine Fisheries Code.

Allayban said 80 percent of fisherfolk registered under BoatR received fuel subsidies worth PHP3,000 through their cards last year, with the remaining set to receive theirs. A “top-up” mechanism allows them to receive another subsidy this year.

The Department of Budget and Management earlier approved PHP150 million for the government’s fuel subsidy program for the agriculture sector, with PHP100 million already disbursed to the Department of Agriculture, ready for distribution. Of the fund, PHP50 million is allocated for farmers and PHP50 million for fishers. (PNA)