Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. commended the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) during the celebration of its 78th founding anniversary, urging officials and staff of the agency to sustain their good work by further scaling up the agency’s delivery of services to efficiently the needs of the country’s fisherfolk.
Speaking before employees and partners, Tiu Laurel praised BFAR’s long-standing contributions to rural development but reminded the bureau that its real success lies in how it transforms lives in coastal communities.
“This celebration is not for us alone—it is for the fisherfolk we serve and the marine resources we are entrusted to protect.”
“This celebration is not for us alone—it is for the fisherfolk we serve and the marine resources we are entrusted to protect,” the agriculture chief said.
With the theme “Ahensyang Aksyon Agad,” this year’s anniversary was both a tribute and a challenge—recognizing the bureau’s legacy while pushing for results-driven service.
The agriculture head stressed the importance of streamlining government processes to allow BFAR to respond swiftly to crises on the ground, and in anticipating future threats to food security and ocean health.
“The nature of government work is unending.”
“The nature of government work is unending,” he said. “There will always be more boats to deliver, more fingerlings to distribute, more projects to launch, and more fisherfolk lives to transform.”
Tiu Laurel pledged full institutional support for programs that bring not just hope but concrete and inclusive growth to the sector. He likened public service to the tides: unrelenting, consistent, and courageous—just like the fisherfolk who set out to sea each day.
As BFAR enters its 79th year, his message was clear: Progress will not come from good intentions alone, but from action that is swift, strategic, and anchored in compassion.
