In a statement, the National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organization in the Philippines (NFSFOP) cited a report of the Commission on Audit (COA) indicating that the purchase was done by BFAR in 2012.
“BFAR has purchased five M16 with insufficient supporting documents, 10 assault rifles, 28 shotguns, 120 9mm pistols, ten .25 handguns, 20 tactical flashlights, and 50,000 assorted ammunitions, all amounting P8.925 million that wasn’t even in the bureau’s allocation,” the federation said.
“The purchased firearms were more than enough compared to the BFAR personnel that are authorized to use those firearms,” noted NFSFOP Vice Chair Salvador France.
France said that in relation to the purchase, BFAR asked its 76 employees to attend training in the use of the firearms, that “all those employees were unauthorized and unqualified.”
BFAR had claimed that the firearms were meant to use against foreign harassment, as well as fishers engaged in “illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing” in violation of the amended Fisheries Code.
“This is a clear misuse of public funds and abuse of power by BFAR Director Asis Perez. Those millions of funds could have been used to support and rehabilitate our municipal fisherfolk,” France said.
France noted that from 2011 up to the first half of 2015, the total unobligated budget of BFAR reached P9.3 billion.
“This is amidst the poverty incidence among fisherfolk and despite the bureau’s 17 percent annual budget increase,” he said.
France also said that “instead of juggling funds according to the mere whim of BFAR officials, they should instead be used for projects that uplift the wellbeing of fisherfolk.” He also urged a probe on “where those billions of unobligated funds went.”
