500 General Santos fishers may lose jobs due to tuna fishing ban

Published by rudy Date posted on February 19, 2010

MANILA, Philippines – At least 500 fishermen in General Santos City face possible displacement as a result of the two-year tuna fishing ban in the Pacific Ocean, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the DOLE regional office in General Santos has already profiled 470 workers directly affected by the tuna fishing ban.

The ban is also expected to affect 50 fishing companies in Sarangani and General Santos, 13 of which have licenses to fish in the high seas covered by the purse seine ban.

But Roque gave assurance that the government is now readying emergency employment and other livelihood programs for fishermen likely to be displaced as a result of the ban.

“DOLE already activated two projects for   livelihood and emergency employment and projects under the Tulong Pangkabuhayan Para sa mga Disadvantaged (TUPAD) and Integrated Services for Livelihood Assistance (ISLA) for workers who will experience temporary work loss,” he said.

Roque said DOLE officials have met with the affected groups and informed them of the creation of Task Force GenSan, which would facilitate the timely delivery of services and interventions for workers in the local tuna industry.

He added that the DOLE regional office in General Santos would also set up one-stop emergency employment centers in strategic sites this week.

These centers will coordinate with concerned government offices, including the Bureau of Aquatic Resources and the local government units’ public employment service offices, for immediate assistance to and the profiling of affected workers.

Roque said the ban, which started last Jan. 1, was meant to stop over-fishing, but did not exempt purse seine fishing, a technique mostly used by General Santos City-based fishermen.

Purse seine fishing uses a rope that passes through all the rings, and when pulled, draws the rings close to one another, preventing the fish from “sounding” or swimming down to escape the net.

Aside from employment facilitation services, local and overseas jobs, skills survey, training and scholarships, DOLE is also offering the Diskwento caravan and youth employment for the affected workers. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)

July 2025

Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”

Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.

Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar.  Reject Military!

#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos

Time to support & empower survivors. Time to spark a global conversation. Time for #GenerationEquality to #orangetheworld!

July


3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 Ju
ly – International Plastic Bag Free Day
 
5 July –
World Youth Skills Day 
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day 
17 July – World Day for
International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons 


Monthly Observances:

Schools Safety Month

Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month

Weekly Observances:

Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week

 

Daily Observances:

First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines

Categories

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.