The Department of Agriculture – National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (DA-NFRDI) provided key technical inputs during a Consultation and Scoping Activity for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 8 Regional Freshwater Aquaculture Production Center (RFAPC), held on April 28–30, 2026 in Tacloban and Babatngon, Leyte.
The activity aimed to review and validate the technical and operational requirements of the RFAPC in preparation for its development as an Aqua-Business Technology Incubation (ABTI) Center, while assessing site readiness and gaps in relation to Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) standards.
The consultation, organized under the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project (FISHCORE) MARLIN Subcomponent 2.2, brought together representatives from the National Project Management Office (NPMO), Fisheries Management Area Coordinating Unit (FCU) 8, and BFAR 8. Discussions focused on refining FCU 8’s ABTI proposal, ensuring alignment with the Technical Evaluation Report (TER), and identifying critical gaps in its establishment and rehabilitation plans and requirements.
NFRDI MARLIN 2.2 Focal Chief Joseph Christopher Rayos led the technical assessment of the RFAPC facilities, providing key recommendations to ensure the site’s readiness for ABTI Center development. He was joined by BFAR NPMO ABTI Lead Dennis Togonon and BFAR NPMO MARLIN Technical Assistant Ulysses Triambulo. The team emphasized the need to strengthen core infrastructure systems to support sustainable and climate-resilient aquaculture operations, particularly for Macrobrachium spp. (ulang) culture, and to integrate appropriate technologies that will enhance overall facility functionality. These measures are critical in improving resilience to environmental stresses and ensuring long-term sustainability of production systems.
Complementing these technical inputs, NFRDI ABTI Senior Science Research Specialist Maria Gabrielle Cordero provided recommendations to strengthen the RFAPC ABTI proposal, focusing on qualitative feasibility and stakeholder readiness. She highlighted the importance of assessing the willingness and capacity of potential incubatees, alongside leveraging ongoing value chain analysis studies to strengthen market linkage development.
The consultation concluded with FCU 8 committing to further refine the ABTI proposal in line with the technical recommendations and to validate potential incubatees across the region.
Moving forward, NFRDI will continue to extend technical assistance in strengthening RFAPC ABTI development, particularly in enhancing feasibility analysis, infrastructure planning, and operational design, as part of ongoing efforts to establish a functional and sustainable ABTI Center in Eastern Visayas. ### (Maria Gabrielle Cordero)