THE CITY of Mati officially opened the Fish Port Complex on Oct. 23 at Purok Calagundaian, Barangay Central to aid the needs of more than 200 commercial fishing ships.
The opening was attended by Mati’s City Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat, Vice Mayor Lorenzo Leon G. Rabat, City Administrator Allan Andrada, city councilors, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), Navotas Fish Port Complex Port Manager Luiz Ortiz, and Davao Fish Port Complex Port Manager Albert Aguinaldo.
In a statement by the Mati City Information Office, the first construction of the multi-million fishport started last 2021 with a total of P75 million funded by PFDA, and utilized for reclamation, concreting, fencing, drainage and sewerage systems, water and electrical distribution networks, administrative offices, and for trading/market hall.
Rabat acknowledged the help of PFDA, President Rodrigo Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao Leo Tereso Magno for their support of the fishport’s completion.
The establishment is designed to manage an estimated 4,000 tons of fish per year, a rate exceeding the average seafood provided in the whole region of Davao Oriental.
The fish port will also help to further develop the fish industry not only in Mati City but also in its neighboring cities.
It will also serve as the central system for commercial fishing activities in the region, as well as a terminal point for the unloading, loading, and selling of fish and other seafood products, with proper sanitation to avoid spoilage of fish products.
Meanwhile, fish boats in the city that are already registered through the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA), such as the Fish-R and Boat-R are allowed to utilize the said facility free of charge.
Photos by MATI CIO
