Question & AnswerQ&A (LLDA Resolution NO. 137, S. 2000)
The main purpose of LLDA Resolution No. 137, S. 2000 is to adopt certain provisions of Republic Act No. 8550 (Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and to approve clarificatory guidelines for the organization, operation, and integration of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils (FARMCs) in the Laguna de Bay Region.
A FARMC is a council composed of fisherfolks' organizations, cooperatives, NGOs, LGUs, and other stakeholders that is tasked to manage, conserve, and develop fisheries and aquatic resources within a specific area, particularly municipal waters.
The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) is mandated by R.A. No. 8550 to extend technical assistance to FARMCs including formation and strengthening of fisherfolks organizations and other necessary services.
BFARMCs are organized in all lakeshore barangays and composed of representatives from the Barangay Development Council, Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries chairperson, accredited NGOs, private sector, Municipal Agricultural Office, and at least eleven barangay fisherfolk including youth and women representatives.
BFARMCs consolidate/federate into a Municipal/City FARMC, which then integrates into a province-wide FARMC forming Integrated Rizal FARMC, Integrated Laguna FARMC, and Integrated Metro Manila FARMC. These province-wide FARMCs collectively form the Laguna de Bay Integrated FARMC (LdBIFARMC).
The LdBIFARMC is composed of the chairpersons of the Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries of Rizal and Laguna provinces, fisheries officers from Rizal, Laguna, and NCR, representatives from provincial governments, accredited NGOs, private organizations, and representatives from the Municipal FARMCs of Laguna, Rizal, and NCR.
FARMC officers serve a term of two years and may be elected for two succeeding terms, after which re-election is prohibited.
Funding for FARMCs comes from appropriations by the Department of Agriculture, Local Government Units (LGUs), subsidies from the Aprofishtech Fund, corporate funds from LLDA for LdBIFARMC, and allocations from fishpen and fishcage fee shares of LGUs.
Their functions include assisting in municipal fishery development plans, advising Sangguniang Bayan/Lungsod on fishery matters, recommending fishery ordinances, assisting in law enforcement in municipal waters, and performing tasks assigned by local legislatures.
The Technical Committee reviews mechanics of FARMC elections, oversees law enforcement programs in the Laguna de Bay and Crater Lakes, ensures coordination among various agencies, and supports the operation of FARMCs including legal protections for deputized members.