‘Peace Boats’ to Help Fishermen in Samar Island Recover from Typhoon Yolanda

Hernani, Eastern Samar — Local fisherfolk from three Eastern Samar towns, who were among the victims of super-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013, recently received a total of 63 ‘peace boats’ to help survivors recover from the disaster.

Dubbed as ‘BangKapayapaan,’ the delivery of peace boats is a joint project of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Agencia Española Cooperacion International para el Desarrollo (AECID or Spanish Aid).

“We know that the Yolanda experience can never meet our imagination, how hard it was for you, but we are here to extend the kind of help you deserve. We are here to strengthen and build relationships in our pursuit of peace and prosperity,” said OPAPP Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles during the turnover ceremony held in the town of Hernani, Eastern Samar.

The 63 ‘peace boats’ comprise the latest batch turned over to the Yolanda-devastated fishing communities in Samar Island under the joint OPAPP-AECID project. The Boat and Net Livelihood Project or ‘BangKapayapaan,’ was conceptualized after Yolanda hit vast parts of the country in November 2013. At its end, the project should benefit some 400 fisherfolk from selected coastal communities.

Each ‘peace boat’ comes complete with gear, fishnet, and engine.

Those targeted to receive the ‘peace boats’ were prioritized based on the case studies and assessment made by their respective Municipal Social Welfare and Development offices. The communities were identified based on the number of coastal barangays per municipality, and the number of actual fishers severely affected.

This latest batch of ‘peace boats’ benefitted 148 fisherfolk from the fishing communities in the municipalities of Hernani, Lorente, and Gen. MacArthur in Eastern Samar province. To ensure the safety of the fishers in these areas, the boats were made to follow the specifications of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, making them fit to sail in the Pacific Ocean.

In March 2014, an initial batch of 50 ‘peace boats’ were turned over to fishers from Sta. Rita town in Western Samar province and from the municipalities of Villareal and Marabut in Samar province.

‘BangKapayapaan’ is lodged under the AECID-funded Mainstreaming Peace and Development in Local Governance Project, which seeks to instill conflict-sensitivity and peace promoting principles in local governance.

“Pinatitibay ng aming pagdating ngayon ang ating paniniwala at intensyon sa patuloy na pagtahak ng landas tungo sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran na tunay na mararamdaman ng mga mamamayan nang pang-matagalan,” Deles said. “Ito po ang landas ng Tuwid na Daan na sinasabi dapat walang maiiwan, dapat mas mararamdaman ng mga mamamayan ang reporma (Our presence here today affirms our belief and intent to continue with the path of peace and development that is truly felt by the people and that it would last. This is the path of Tuwid na Daan, where no one is left behind, where reforms are felt by the people).”

Also present to witness the event were delegates from Spain led by Spanish Ambassador H.E. Antonio Calvo, AECID General Coordinator Juan Pita, OPAPP officials, including Undersecretary Luisito Montalbo and Assistant Secretary Jennifer Oreta, Mayors Tito Codoy Jr. of the town of Llorente and Edgar Boco of the town of Hernani, representatives from the provincial government of Eastern Samar, and officials from other regional line agencies. (OPAPP)