At least 800 fisherfolk from 10 coastal towns of Bataan have benefited from the government’s fuel subsidy program that aims to mitigate the impact of rising oil prices on the local fishing industry.

Wilfredo Cruz, director of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Luzon (DA-BFAR-3), said Friday the fishers each received discount cards containing PHP3,000 worth of fuel credits from partner oil companies on Wednesday and Thursday.

Cruz said the beneficiaries are those who registered under the FishR program.

He said beneficiaries must be using motorized boats weighing three gross tons or less, and registered under BoatR.

“Beneficiaries of the program must be fisherfolk who are categorized as ‘registered’ together with their motorized boats as validated by the Regional Fisheries Information Management Communication (RFIMC) of BFAR-3,” he said in a social media post.

The first batch of beneficiaries, consisting of about 100 fishers, received the fuel discount card during the launch of the program in Bataan last May 24.

Another 600 fishers in the province are set to receive the same benefits this year.

Bataan provincial fisheries officer Harlyn Recabar-Purzuelo said there are 1,600 targeted fisherfolk beneficiaries in Bataan. (PNA)