TACLOBAN CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 8, in partnership with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Region 8, will establish a permanent checkpoint at the San Juanico Bridge, which connects the islands of Samar and Leyte.
This move aims to ensure the safety and compliance of fishery commodities entering Leyte and the rest of the Eastern Visayas Region.
The new checkpoint will be manned by Fisheries Quarantine Officers of BFAR-8 and PNP-8 personnel, working 24/7 to ensure that all fishery commodities are compliant with food safety regulations and not harmful to human consumption.
The checkpoint will be located at the foot of the bridge on the Leyte side.
Aside from ensuring food safety, the checkpoint is also a measure to deter illegal exploitation of aquatic wildlife species, which are already endangered, rare, and threatened. This is in line with the mandate of the Philippine Fisheries Code, which aims to protect and conserve fisheries and aquatic resources.
Currently, an existing fisheries checkpoint is being operated by PNP-8, which checks local transport permits and auxiliary invoices of local and national importers to examine the traceability of such products.
With the establishment of the permanent checkpoint, food safety regulations will be more strictly enforced, ensuring the safe consumption of fishery products.
The San Juanico Bridge is a strategic entry and exit point for goods and other major commodities going to and from the region. Hence, the checkpoint is expected to serve as a sentinel that will continually safeguard the lives of the people, especially during the recent pandemic.
The establishment of the permanent checkpoint is set to commence on the last week of April 2023. —iTacloban (Source: BFAR-8)