Senator Eduardo Angara, committee chairman on agriculture, announced his proposal to insert in the 2009 budget P250 million to help the ailing industry during the 10th Tuna Congress here.

"As chairman of the agriculture committee in the Senate, I will insert in the 2009 budget P250 million to help the tuna industry cope with the high cost of fuel. I hope our Senate Pres. Manny Villar supports this move," Angara said.

Senate President Manuel Villar, who spoke before the local and foreign delegates after Angara, told reporters he would support a subsidy fund for the tuna industry and would work on its enactment for next year’s budget.

"I will support the subsidy fund of P250 million be part of the 2009 national budget to help our tuna industry keep afloat in this trying times of uncertainty in fuel prices," Villar said.

Both Senate leaders aired separately their assurance shortly after they were briefed by tuna industry leaders Marfin Tan, Doming Teng and Jerry Damalerio of the high cost of fuel plaguing the industry.

Tan, Teng and Damalerio have complained earlier that the rising cost of fuel is taking a toll on the tuna export industry as it limits fishing companies to field their fishing fleet to catch fish.

"Fuel comprises 60 percent of the fishing operation. As such, fielding more fishing boats to catch tuna would mean a huge capital on fuel alone. This binds us to reduce our fleet to go fishing," Teng said.

Angara also revealed that the Department of Agriculture has P4 billion ready fund for the fishery sector, which the tuna industry may avail of to enable them to ride on to skyrocketing oil and work on measures to become competitive globally.

Although, he said, the P4 billion, which is release through a loan or grant, is mainly for the development of the inland fishing, the fund could also be tap by the tuna industry to modernize their fleet and fishing accessory.

Bureau of Fishery chief Malcolm Sarmiento agreed with Angara that the P4-billion fund could be utilized to help fishermen modernize their fishing fleet, fishing accessory and fish radar and communication to catch more tuna on the high seas of Pacific, Philippine and Indonesian waters.

Tan clarified that the 15 percent to 25 percent decrease in tuna catch in Mindanao is due to Indonesia’s ban on Filipino fishermen catching tuna on Indonesian waters to export 30 percent of the catch back to Mindanao.

"While we have this provision in our previous bilateral agreement with Indonesia, this is no long working after the pact expired. We appeal to the Senate and the national government to talk again with Indonesia for the renewal of this bilateral fishing pact," Tan said.