MOA with BFAR-10 up for review

The City Council Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Councilor Jay R. Pascual, is set to assess and review the draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to be entered into by and between the City Government of Cagayan de Oro and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 10, covering the implementation of approved fisheries livelihood project under the Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan (MMK) program.

The MMK program is a nationwide search for outstanding coastal community in the country which started last November 2016. It aims to recognize outstanding initiatives and contributions of coastal cities to sustainable fisheries development. It also encourages local government units (LGUs) to adopt best practices and promote awareness on conservation, management, and sustainable development of the municipal waters and provide sufficient funds for these endeavors.

Under the program, three regional winners will be selected and awarded with fisheries livelihood projects in the amount of P2M (First Prize); P1M (Second Prize); and P500K (Third Prize). The winning LGUs will prepare the fisheries livelihood proposal for review and approval by BFAR-10. Upon its approval, the BFAR-10 will then download the needed funds for the implementation of the project, The Gavel learned.

Under the MOA, BFAR-10 shall conduct field monitoring, review and evaluate monthly progress report submitted by the city. It shall then prepare and submit regular status/monitoring reports to its Central Office, among others.

For its part, the City shall open and maintain a Special Trust Account in any government bank and issue official receipt for the fund transfer received from BFAR-10. It shall likewise provide all support towards the conduct of the project and direct all its effort toward accomplishing the purposes for which the MOA is made, among others.