Comprehensive National Fisheries Industry Development Plan (2006-2025).

This Comprehensive National Fisheries Industry Development Plan (CNFIDP) is designed to provide the comprehensive framework for promoting optimal development and long-term sustainability of benefits derived by the Philippines from its fisheries. The Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act [RA] 8550) specifically requires the formulation and implementation of such a comprehensive development and management plan for the sector. This CNFIDP provides the strategic priorities and directions for the fisheries sector over the next 20 years (2006-2025) in response to current (as well as potential) issues and challenges impacting the sector. In addition, it lays out the key program and project interventions for implementation over the first 5-year medium-term period (2006-2010) consistent with the long-term strategic priorities and directions. The CNFIDP’s goal and objectives, as well as the corresponding subsector projects, are anchored on sustainable and competitive fisheries industry that contributes to food security and provides optimum socio-economic benefits to Filipinos (pags. 97 and 98).
The CNFIDP satisfies three main requisites of a national fisheries plan. First, it contains all the critical planning elements, including comprehensive situational assessments, exhaustive problems/solutions diagnoses, projections of benefits of the future and likely development scenarios, programmatic interventions, institutional arrangements and monitoring scheme. Second, CNFIDP is a product of extensive and participatory consultations at all levels, involving various concerned agencies and stakeholders. Third, the plan is science-based, taking into account the best available scientific/technical information and best practices consistent with existing international fisheries instruments and guidelines (pag. 3). The targets detail the results or benefits expected in achieving the overall goal and objectives which provide the sector’s strategic directions. The targets under the first three objectives relate to “stress reduction” and are specific on-the-ground measures to be achieved by the collaborating programme/project implementation. The targets under the objectives 4-6 relate to economic sustainability and poverty alleviation, especially among municipal fishers and coastal community members (pags. 106 and 107).
CNFIDP is divided into five core chapters. Chapter 1 provides the general introduction and the contextual background materials, including the purpose of CNFIDP, which is to provide the comprehensive framework for promoting the optimal development and long-term sustainability of benefits derived by the country from fisheries, highlighting the highly participatory and interactive planning process. Chapter 2 is technically a profile that provides a description of the Philippine fisheries industry. Chapter 3 provides the strategic direction to be followed from 2006 to 2025. Chapter 4 tackles the specific measures and/or interventions proposed to address the various management problems and issues identified over the first MTP (2006-2010). Chapter 5 (Medium-term Implementation Scheme) describes the recommended medium-term implementation arrangements, schedule, costs and monitoring scheme for CNFIDP (pags. 15 and 16).
The targets under the last three objectives (objectives 7-9) relate to governance, stakeholder participation and empowerment. It is assumed that economic and sociopolitical objectives will complement conservation objectives (pag. 107).