Rehabilitation of Damaged Fishponds and Fishpens in Certain Provinces in Luzon

September 5, 1974

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 214

In view of the extensive damage to fishponds and fishpens wrought by the recent floods in the provinces of Bataan, Rizal, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales, Laguna, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Pangasinan, La Union and Aurora sub-province, and in order to speed up the rehabilitation of all damaged areas, I hereby issue the following instructions: cdt

1. The Central Bank of the Philippines, the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Philippine National Bank, and the Agricultural Credit Administration are directed to consolidate and restructure all past-due obligations of operators of fishponds and fishpens and grant a moratorium on the payment of said obligations for a maximum period of three years. I further order that the maximum limit for fishpond and fishpen loan should be determined by the actual requirements for repair of facilities and purchase of inputs.

2. The Department of Natural Resources, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, is ordered to procure immediately at prevailing prices and make available to operators of small fishponds and required fingerlings at half-price, if payment is made in cash, or at full-price, if payment will be made after the next harvest. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Natural Resources are hereby authorized to utilize the Calamity Fund or any other funds for this purpose: Provided, That the residual of the amount drawn from the Calamity Fund or any other funds and the payments made on loans herein authorized to be given, shall be constituted into a Revolving Fund which shall be available for similar and related purposes as the need therefor arises. aisa dc

3. The Budget Commission is hereby ordered to release out of the Calamity Fund, the amount of Ten Million Pesos (P10,000,000.00) for the rehabilitation of damaged fishponds and fishpens.

4. The Department of Natural Resources, through the BFAR, is authorized to deploy and reassign extension workers and personnel in areas affected by the floods.

5. The Fertilizer Industry Authority shall determine and allocate the fertilizer requirements of the areas to be rehabilitated, as determined by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

6. All the above-cited government agencies are hereby authorized to allow their personnel directly involved in the rehabilitation drive to render overtime work for the duration of the emergency on all the projects mentioned hereinabove.

Letters of Instructions, Executive Orders, Circulars, or parts thereof inconsistent with this Letter of Instructions are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. casia

This Letter of Instructions shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 5th day of September, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Four.