Operationalization of the Blue Revolution Program

January 10, 1979

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 791

Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 704 date May 16, 1975 and Letter of Instruction 495 dated September 8, 1976 approving the Integrated Fisheries Development Plan, the Minister of Natural Resources, with the assistance of the agencies within its jurisdiction and of the other government instrumentalities involved in fisheries development, shall intensify fish production and improve fish distribution to attain self-sufficiency in fish, expand exports, increase employment, and improve the quality of life of small fishermen in the coastal areas, With the participation of the other officials named in this directive, the Minister of Natural Resources shall operationalize the Blue Revolution Program. To this effect, I therefore issue the following specific directives: cd i

1. The Director of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources shall intensify and expand the BFAR training and extension program especially in the depressed areas of the Philippines and the coastal areas of Mindanao. This program shall encourage activities for producing exportable fishery products and those that provide alternative sources of livelihood to fishermen, such as sea farming.

2. The Minister of Education and Culture and the President of the University of the Philippines System, through the UP College of Fisheries, shall assist the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in expanding its training and extension program by making available their facilities and technical expertise, whenever necessary and applicable.

3.  The Minister of Natural Resources, as Chairman of the Fishery Industry Development Council shall, in consultations with the government financial institutions, finalize a comprehensive and expanded credit program for small fishermen similar to Masagana-99 and shall incorporate in this program measures to improve the viability of small and medium-sized fishing activities. The fisheries credit program shall include the components of the financing packages, the priority fishing areas, and the overall supervision and management set-up. cd i

4. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources shall provide extension support and technological assistance in implementing this credit program.

5. The Philippine Fish Marketing Authority shall provide marketing support in implementing this credit program.

6. The aforementioned financial institutions shall extend the financial assistance required by the credit program in the priority areas selected by the FIDC Technical Committee on Credit. However, the Minister of Natural Resources, as Chairman of the FIDC, is hereby directed to expand coverage of the credit program to nationwide proportions to the extent feasible.

7. The Minister of the Budget is hereby directed to release to the Fishery Industry Development Council the amount of P10 million pesos provided in PD 704 as Special Guarantee Fund to provide seed money for this purpose, following the concept of Masagana 99.

The Minister of Natural Resources shall keep me informed of the progress of the Blue Revolution Program, particularly as regards extension and credit.

Letters of Instructions, Executive Orders, Memorandum Circulars, Rules and Regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Letter of Instruction are hereby revoked or modified accordingly.

This Letter of Instruction shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 10th day of January, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Nine.