WWF-Philippines Launches Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership, a Milestone Towards a Sustainable, Equitable Tuna Supply Chain for the Philippines
March 2020
Members of the newly-founded Philippine Tuna Handline Partnerships group stand together with their partners and supporters. The organization of the client group is the first major step towards a sustainable tuna supply chain for the Philippines. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
TABACO CITY, BICOL - The first foundations for small-scale, sustainably-sourced tuna in the Philippines took root with the formation of the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership client group in Legazpi, Bicol, which was launched on March 10, 2020, with the support of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
WWF-Philippines is working to help the newly found group earn eco-label certification. To prepare them for ecolabel certification, client groups can undergo a Fisheries Improvement Program (FIP) – a program aimed at working towards the environmental sustainability for fisheries.
As advocates of sustainability, the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership group has chosen to pursue the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. The MSC ecolabel is considered a useful global standard for measuring the environmental performance of wild-caught fisheries.
GLTFFI Chairman Atenogenes Reaso, OMFTFA Chairman Johnson Peralta, and PATPI Chairman Sam Garcia sign a cooperation agreement to formally establish the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership group. The newly-formed group is committed to sustainable and equitable tuna. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
The client group consists of two small-scale handline fisher federations, namely the Gulf of Lagonoy Tuna Fishers Federation Inc. (GLTFFI) and the Occidental Mindoro Federation of Tuna Fishers Association (OMFTFA). The Philippine Association of Tuna Processors (PATPI) is also part of the group, in order to complete the tuna supply chain within the client group. The GLTFFI, the OMFTFA, and the PATPI chain is the only tuna supply chain in the Philippines to have undergone the FIP process. Through its FIP program, WWF-Philippines has been supporting the federations, organizing and empowering them while building their capacities for sustainably managing their fisheries.
The members of the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership group will be the first group of fishermen to ever receive MSC certification, should they be able to complete the process.
“As we speak, 88% of fisheries all over the world are either overfished or fully fished. Only 12% are in good condition globally… No matter how stringent the industry may be, we are still losing our fisheries. That’s why I like this project. We work with handline fishermen. It’s very sustainable,” said WWF-Philippines Executive Director Joel Palma. WWF-Philippines organized the GLTFFI and the OMFTFA in 2012, from small-scale fishermen operating in Lagonoy Gulf and Mindoro Strait, respectively. The GLTFFI, registered under the Security Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2014, consists of 15 Municipal Tuna Fishers Associations. The OMFTFA, meanwhile, consists of 6 associations and was founded in 2013.
WWF-Philippines Sustainable Tuna Partnerships Project Manager Joann Binondo delivers her congratulations and well-wishes to the newly-founded Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership group. WWF-Philippines has been working with the GLTFFI, the OMFTFA, and the PATPI to push for a sustainable tuna supply chain for the Philippines. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
“WWF-Philippines was the one to facilitate the FIP process. Now, we’re handing the reins over to the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership. They will be the ones to take the lead and to drive the process towards MSC certification. We will support them every step of the way,” added WWF-Philippines Sustainable Tuna Partnerships Project Manager Joann Binondo, who has overseen the two fisher federations since they were first founded.
“Through this partnership, we hope that we can tap more organizations and more fisherfolk to join our cause. Through this, we can develop an ever-growing support system among fellow fisherfolk, stakeholders, government institutions, and partner organizations that work together to obtain our vision of effectively-managed fisheries resources,” said BFAR V Chief for Regional Fisheries Training and Fisherfolk Coordination Center Dr. Noemi Lanzuela on behalf of BFAR Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona. BFAR has put in place policies, programs, and emergent technologies in pursuit of sustainable fishing practices in the country. The government agency has worked closely with WWF-Philippines throughout the FIP program.
BFAR V Chief for Regional Fisheries Training and Fisherfolk Coordination Center Dr. Noemi Lanzuela delivers words of support on behalf of BFAR Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona. BFAR has supported WWF-Philippines’ FIP projects in Lagonoy Gulf and Mindoro Strait since 2012. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
The three organizations signed a cooperation agreement at Casa Ver Amore in Tabaco City, to formalize their commitment to the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership. Aside from binding the organizations to the MSC certification process, the commitment agreement stipulates that the GLTFFI, the OMFTFA, and the PATPI continue to support the development and maintenance of small-scale handline tuna fisheries in the Lagonoy Gulf and Mindoro Strait.
“As a member of this MSC client group, my hope is that we can secure the livelihoods of our tuna fishers through the protection of our fishery resources. That’s what is needed to improve our local tuna industry,” said OMFTFA Member Johnson Peralta, himself a handline fisherman. WWF-Philippines’ FIP program educates fishermen on sustainable fishing practices, as a step in assuring the conservation of marine resources.
WWF-Philippines Executive Director Joel Palma recounts the changes he had noticed in the country’s fisheries over the years. Since its founding in 1997, WWF-Philippines has pushed for the sustainable management of the countries’ natural resources. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
“Groups like the Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership are so important, because it gives market power to us small-scale fishermen. We usually get very little say at the marketplace. As recipients of the MSC label, though, I believe our position will be stronger, both in the tuna industry and in the way our fisheries are being governed,” stated GLTFFI President Atenogenes Reaso, a seasoned fisherman and local leader. The MSC ecolabel may grant client group members access to markets that had otherwise been beyond their reach.
“It’s a privilege for us processors to be part of this client group. We want to show the world that the Philippines is a sustainable source of tuna and wild-caught products. We want to show everyone that we are doing our part in using our natural resources responsibly,” added PATPI Chair Sam Garcia.
Garcia also expressed his group’s commitment to sustainability, stating that PATPI would extend all necessary support to their partner fishermen and associated processor-exporters. Including processors in the client group ensures that the seafood caught by the GLTFFI and the OMFTFA have a sure market to be sold through.
The Philippine Tuna Handline Partnership client group will now continue forward with the rest of the MSC certification process. WWF-Philippines has handed over leadership in the certification process, but will continue to provide support to the client group.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Joann Binondo
Sustainable Tuna Partnerships Project Manager
jbinondo@wwf.org.ph
For media arrangements, please contact:
Mrs. Angelica Pago
Integrated Communications Manager
pluber@wwf.org.ph
