January 25, 2026 | IBA, Zambales— The Zambales provincial government has procured two 45-footer fiberglass-hulled fishing boats to jumpstart the modernization of the local fishing industry and make local fishers more competitive.

Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., along with Vice Gov. Jacqueline Khonghun and other local officials, named the vessels FV Zambales III and FV Zambales IV during a turnover and naming ceremony at the Coast Guard Substation in Barangay Amungan here last Friday, January 23.

Ebdane said the new vessels will give Zambaleño fishermen a competitive edge and enable them to sustain their livelihood amid tensions in the WPS.

The two fishing boats, worth a total of P10 million, were built by Stoneworks Specialist International Corp. based in Gen. Trias, Cavite. Both are powered by 125-horsepower Hyundai engines and have a maximum speed of 18 knots. 

The boats will be used by the Zambales Provincial Fisherfolks Association (ZPFA), headed by Chairman Paulo Quitaneg, which is composed of 10 local fisherfolk cooperatives. They will serve as ancillary boats to gather catch from “payaos,” which are fish-aggregating devices (FADs) anchored in open sea. 

Another boat, named MV Province of Zambales, was also launched in the same ceremony for patrol operations in the sea off Zambales.

Ebdane said the new fishing boats are “a concrete proof of the government’s concern over the plight of local fishermen who risk their lives at sea to eke out a living” and a recognition of the need for them to modernize to sustain their livelihood.

“The provincial government will continue to support you,” Ebdane told fisherfolk during the ceremony. “We will continue to help develop the fishing sector in Zambales, which is a priority of this administration,” he added.

Fish catch in the vicinity of the Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc had increasingly dwindled since 2012 when China occupied what used to be a traditional fishing ground for Zambales fishers.

Gov. Ebdane, who had advocated the modernization of the local fishing industry amid geopolitical problems in the WPS, said the procurement of modern fishing vessels “is in pursuit of a long-term solution to the WPS problem.” 

The fishing boats were procured through a livelihood assistance program of the Zambales Maritime Development Council (ZMDC), which was organized by the provincial government in late 2024 to address fishermen’s concerns at the WPS and promote sustainable local fish production.

Under the provincial government’s livelihood assistance program, the ZDMC had also provided P10.6-million worth of “payaos” to local fishermen’s cooperatives in the last two years and facilitated their training in the operation of modern fishing vessels and maritime safety.

According to Engr. Domingo Mariano, head of the ZMDC Technical Working Group, two bigger vessels, the future FV Zambales I and FV Zambales II, which are respectively 92-footer and 100-footer harvester boats, will be delivered this year. These will serve as “mother boats” that provide bigger storage and ice supply to complement the ancillary vessels. – Taktikom News & Features