The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Eastern Visayas has established its first monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) substation in Southern Leyte to strengthen fisheries monitoring, enforcement coordination and response to reported violations in the province.

The Sogod Bay MCS Substation in Liloan town was formally established on Monday through an inaugural blessing and signing of a usufruct agreement at the Liloan municipal hall.

The 30-square-meter facility will serve as the local base of BFAR-8’s Enforcement and Regional Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance Operation Center (ERMCSOC) for Southern Leyte.

It will support monitoring, surveillance and enforcement activities within areas covered by Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) 8 and 9, including coordination and response to reported fisheries violations.

“Liloan is a strategic site for Fisheries Management Areas 8 and 9. We hope to have collaborative action toward protecting our seas through shared responsibility and shared resources,” ERMCSOC head Edmar Kristopher Petallana said during the opening.

BFAR identified Liloan as a strategic location for the substation because of its access to areas covered by the two FMAs, providing an operational base for fisheries monitoring and enforcement activities.

The substation was established through an initiative of Rare Philippines, which facilitated the partnership between BFAR and the WildAid Marine Program.

Stephanie Villaceran, program implementation associate of Rare Philippines, said the establishment of the facility goes beyond providing a physical space for enforcement operations.

“It’s not the place; it’s the people working around the place,” Villaceran said, underscoring the importance of collaboration among agencies, local governments and other partners in protecting fisheries and aquatic resources.

The WildAid Marine Program provided funding support, with assistance from the Canadian government, for the establishment of the facility.

The Liloan local government, meanwhile, provided the space and lot where the substation was established.

“We are privileged to have the MCS Substation here in Liloan. It will help strengthen our efforts to deter illegal and unregulated fishing activities and protect our fisheries resources,” Liloan Mayor Jonna Adan said.

With the new facility, ERMCSOC will have a more accessible base for conducting monitoring and surveillance operations, coordinating enforcement activities and responding to reported fisheries violations.

The substation will also complement preparations for the upcoming sardine closed fishing season in FMA 9, which is set to begin in December 2026, with additional support from the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project. (PNA)