By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
A safe berthing of fishing vessels and improved access to basic fish port services is underway to Concepcion town in Northern Iloilo with Phase 1 of the rehabilitation of its P150-million fishport now at 70 percent.
Phase 1 includes the reclamation of a new fish port complex of about 6,500 square meter area which is adjacent to the old fish port facility, construction of rockwall revetment, new fish market, new administrative building, and the 75-meter causeway.
Subsequently, Phase 2 of the rehabilitation will extend the causeway and develop additional facilities such as comfort rooms, road networks, and ice storage. The old fish port will also be converted into a transport terminal.
The local government of Concepcion expects the full operation of the project in October this year.
The official groundbreaking ceremony at the project site was held in March 2022.
The fishport rehabilitation, officially known as the Northern Iloilo Fishery Rehabilitation and Development Project, is a grant provided by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) as part of their assistance to Iloilo province in the aftermath of the devastating supertyphoon Yolanda.
In 2013, two weeks following the destructive impact of the supertyphoon in Northern Iloilo, KOICA’s high-ranking officials visited various towns in the region, including Carles, Estancia, and Concepcion.
Initially, KOICA intended to support the rehabilitation of three ports but only Concepcion received assistance due to delays in the approval process by the South Korean government.
