ORANI, Bataan: The first in the country, an P180 million – fish landing and trading facility rises here with the groundbreaking held Thursday at the old and closed consignacion in Barangay Pantalan Bago.
Funded by the World Bank, it is a project of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) under the Department of Agriculture.
PRDP said it is the first such project in the country. Target completion is 122 days or before December 2024.
Mayor Efren Pascual Jr. said the project is like “regaining the old glory of Orani”. He said that before the Pinatubo devastation, Orani is well-known for crabs and prawns. “Tuloy ang pagbangon ng ating ekonomiya at dapat walang maiiwan.”
“Ang mga marginalized fisherman ay tiyak na magkaroon ng mas higit na kakayahan na makasabay sa kompetisyon kaya naman hindi pa man ay lagi kong ipinapaalala ang hamon ng ating magiging parehong patuloy na pagtatrabaho,” the mayor said.
“Ito ay upang matiyak na sa loob ng isang taon at dalawang buwan ay makita na handa ang lahat ng component para magbukas ng kakaibang oportunidad at maibigay namin ang pinaka-maximum potential na alam naming aabangan at papakinabangan ng aming mga kababayan,”Pascual added.
The mayor said that aside from bangus, crabs and prawns, he saw the potential of “sinilyasi” in the area.
1st district Congresswoman Geraldine Roman recalled of the long history of Orani that she said became well-known because of seafoods but with the Pinatubo eruption, the seafood industry was affected and lied low.
“Ngayon sa pamamag-itan ng proyekto na dulot ng Worldbank ay magkakaroon ng katuparan at uunlad muli ang industriya ng seafoods with world-class facility,” Roman said.
Gov. Jose Enrique Garcia 3rd expressed the hope that the project with the help of all concerned will be completed and provide convenience to fishermen, speed-up business and trading.
“Alam naman ng lahat na ang bayan ng Orani ay sikat na sikat di lang sa Bataan kundi pati na rin sa buong bansa kung saan ang consignacion bulungan ay kilalang kilala at ilang beses ng na-featured sa TV,” the governor said.
“Hindi siguro malayo na mangarap dahil sa proyekto ngayon, makikilala ang Orani, ang Bataan ay makikilala kagaya ng sa Japan kung saan nandoon ang one of the largest wholesale fish markets in the world and the most popular,” Pascual said.
“Ito ang pangarap ni Mayor Pascual kaya kaisa ang probinsya ng Bataan para ito ay maabot at dahil sa pasilidad na ito ay siguro maasahan na tataas ang kita ng ating mga mangingisda at bababa naman ang presyo para sa mga consumers para sa ating mga mamamayan.” Garcia said.
Senator Cynthia Villar said Orani is agriculture- based and rich in bangus, tilapia, alimango and sugpo. “Walang katulad ang sarap ng seafoods sa Orani dahil sa linis ng tubig,” the senator said.
The mother of her husband, former Senate President Manny Villar, is from Orani.
She said that she was informed by the Orani fishport supervisor that the average daily volume delivered in the fishport is five to seven tons of crabs and five to 10 tons of prawns. She said that the prawns in Orani are export commodity and reach Japan and Taiwan.
Crabs raised in Orani, on the other hand, she said, are best-sellers in the country especially in Metro Manila.
“Ang project ay magpapabago sa buhay at ekonomiya ng mga taga-Orani. Ang Pantalan Bago ay magle-level up at magiging world-class. Gagawin itong mas malaki at mas magandang fishport para makapagbigay ng mas magandang serbisyo sa mga fish traders at mangingisda,” Villar said.
On “sinilyasi” that Mayor Pascual mentioned, the senator said the fish is for the masses while the prawns and crabs are for the high-class. “Mas marami ang masa kaysa high-class kaya may produkto kayo na pangmasa na mas malaki ang kita.”
She said that the original fishport in Pantalan Bago was inaugurated by her husband in 2005.
