BFAR XI FSP

𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐀-𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐗𝐈 𝐅𝐒𝐏 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬: 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑢 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑋𝐼 (𝐵𝐹𝐴𝑅 𝑋𝐼) 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑦-𝑜𝑛𝑒 (21) 𝐹𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝐵𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑟'𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐴𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 2024–2025 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑠 (𝑆𝑈𝐶𝑠).

𝑆𝑖𝑥 (6) 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝐴𝑔𝑟𝑖-𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑇𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 (𝑆𝑃𝐴𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇) 𝑜𝑛 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑒 18, 2025, 𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎, 𝐷𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑜 𝑂𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙. 𝑂𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑, 𝑓𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛 (15) 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐷𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒 (𝐷𝑁𝑆𝐶) 𝑜𝑛 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑒 27, 2025.

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝐵𝐹𝐴𝑅 𝑋𝐼–𝐹𝑆𝑃 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑖𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.
𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟.👏✨

𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐗𝐈–𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑢 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑋𝐼 (𝐵𝐹𝐴𝑅 𝑋𝐼), 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 (𝐹𝑆𝑃), 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐴𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 2024–2025. 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒 (3) 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑘 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝐸𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡 (𝐹𝐶𝐸𝐺) 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑪𝒖𝒎 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒆—𝑡𝑤𝑜 (2) 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝐴𝑔𝑟𝑖-𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑇𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 (𝑆𝑃𝐴𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇), 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒 (1) 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐷𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒 (𝐷𝑁𝑆𝐶).

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑴𝒓. 𝑨𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒉 𝑭. 𝑨𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒐 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐷𝑁𝑆𝐶, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑴𝒓. 𝑱𝒊𝒎𝒓𝒆𝒄 𝑫. 𝑪𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑴𝒔. 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒆 𝑩. 𝑵𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑆𝑃𝐴𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇. 𝐼𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 ₱20,000.00.

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑢𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝐹𝐴𝑅 𝑋𝐼–𝐹𝑆𝑃 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟, 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦𝑠.

𝐵𝐹𝐴𝑅 𝑋𝐼 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑖𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠. 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦.

𝐌𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐡𝐚𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬!

| 𝐃𝐀-𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐗𝐈 𝐅𝐒𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒’ 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 |

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 (𝙁𝙎𝙋), 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩—𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮𝙨.

For this week’s success story, meet Ms. Mary Grace O. Marina, who graduated from Davao del Norte State College in the academic year 2018. Ms. Marina was a BFAR XI-FSP scholar under the Fisherfolk Children Educational Grant (FCEG) component. She lived in Bago Aplaya, Davao City, and is the eldest of three siblings, born to her mother, Nida O. Marina, and her father, Danilo T. Marina.

Like many other scholars, Ms. Marina applied for FSP because her parents couldn’t afford to send her to tertiary education. According to her, one of the main reasons she pursued the scholarship was her desire to become a teacher. Her mother encouraged her, telling her that if she took this scholarship, she could achieve that goal. Ms. Marina enrolled in the program, even though she had no prior knowledge of the fisheries world, and, most notably, she didn’t know how to swim. Throughout her college journey, her fellow scholars served as companions and sources of comfort, apart from her family, during the challenges and difficulties she faced. They lent each other a helping hand to survive their chosen course. Ms. Marina remembers that, at the time, only seven scholars, including herself, successfully graduated with a major in Capture Fisheries.

On another note, for Ms. Marina, FSP was not just an opportunity to finish her college degree and a valuable means of providing financial assistance to her parents, but it also awakened a deeper purpose in her. It allowed her to help marginalized fisherfolk, a sector that had once helped her, as her parents worked part-time in gleaning and fishing. What truly instilled in Ms. Marina's heart and mind was the idea that '𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘺𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬’.

Reflecting on the past, the strong and genuine bond she shared with her fellow scholars, a bond that eventually grew into a family had a big impact on her. Starting from first year to fourth year, they were together through thick and thin. They didn’t just share academic knowledge; they also shared food, and more importantly, emotional support — especially during times when their allowance was delayed. Ms. Marina still remembers how, during examination time, they would form group study sessions, patiently teaching and encouraging one another so they could all pass, especially in subjects like mathematics and science. They always celebrated each other's little wins and stood by one another through sleepless nights, tight deadlines, and homesickness. In her vivid memories, there were even times when, instead of studying, they would play Mini Militia just to give their tired brains a break. According to Ms. Marina, the journey was far from easy but because they held onto each other, every struggle became bearable.

And now, looking back, all those sacrifices, the shared tears and laughter were truly worth it. Ms. Marina wouldn’t have made it this far without them. The friendship, support, and unity they shared with her co-scholars will always remain one of the most treasured parts of her journey as a BFAR XI scholar.

Ms. Marina is currently employed at the BFAR XI under the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program, which focuses on enhancing the economic well-being of marginalized Filipino communities by providing livelihood opportunities in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Thus, FSP is life-changing and has made the biggest contribution to most of the scholars, including Ms. Marina, in shaping what they have become today. It provided unforgettable experiences during their school years and became the foundation for forming an unbreakable bond of friendship.

“𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 𝘟𝘐 𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘪 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘰 𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘶𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘪 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘨𝘰 𝘶𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘨-𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘵!” (Once a scholar, now a servant. Thank you, BFAR, for not only giving me the opportunity to graduate but also providing light on our path, awakening our dreams, and enabling us to serve our fishermen!)

𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 𝘟𝘐-𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

| 𝐃𝐀-𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐗𝐈 𝐅𝐒𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒’ 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 |

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 (𝙁𝙎𝙋), 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩—𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮𝙨.

For this week's success story, meet another BFAR XI FSP Scholar from the Fisheries Industry Leader Grant (FILG) component, Ms. Leah Jane D. Arandia. Ms. Arandia is the middle child among three siblings. She grew up in Sitio Elib, Brgy. Talaguton, Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental. Ms. Arandia completed her studies at Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology in Port Pilar, Zamboanga City, in the academic year 2019-2023. Her senior high school teacher encouraged Ms. Arandia to apply for this scholarship. Although she was initially hesitant because she didn’t know what type of scholarship it was or what courses it covered, her parents motivated her to take the risk. Ms. Arandia realized then that ‘a scholarship is still a scholarship, and if you want to continue your education, you have to take the risk, as there are many advantages to having a scholarship."

During Ms. Arandia’s college journey, there were many challenges, but she faced three of the most significant ones. First, adjusting to a new environment and the culture in Zamboanga City. According to Ms. Arandia, stepping into a new region was a challenge, but luckily, she met people who helped her adjust. Because of them, she was able to enjoy her college days. Second, the semester evaluations were stressful for her because they felt like judgment days for scholars. This was when it was decided whether or not she would continue as a scholar for the next semester, as she had to maintain her grades. Lastly, the biggest challenge occurred during the pandemic. Learning and attending classes at that time was not easy, especially since she lived in an area with poor signal. Late submissions, absences, the possibility of receiving an INC grade, and tardiness were constant struggles. Nonetheless, Ms. Arandia managed to push through with perseverance, hard work, and sleepless nights. Another positive aspect during that time was the continuous stipend/allowances, which helped her and her family.

Ms. Arandia’s eagerness to earn a bachelor’s degree and make her parents proud drove her to continue her studies. The FSP opened many opportunities for her, including financial support, the chance to explore, learn, and experience new things, as well as the opportunity to be part of the workforce at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which aligns with her professional goals. Currently, Ms. Arandia is working as staff under the Fisheries Management Regulatory and Enforcement Division.

“𝘋𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘬𝘢𝘢𝘺𝘰 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘱 𝘶𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘢 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘪 𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘢, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘶𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘵-𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘴𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪 𝘴𝘢 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘰. 𝘛𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘩𝘪𝘺𝘰𝘢, 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘣 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨 𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘢 𝘶𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘶𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥. 𝘔𝘢𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘒𝘢𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 -𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘟𝘐!” (I am very grateful as a scholar of BFAR because of the opportunity given to me. I was given the chance to explore and gain experience by learning from another institution here in Mindanao. Because of this privilege, it helped ease my family's ability to support me in completing my education, and it also provided me with more opportunities. Therefore, I extend my deepest thanks to BFAR - FSP XI!)

Finally, Ms. Arandia's future goals are still undecided, but one thing is for sure: she wants to continue learning and exploring new things in order to grow in any field she chooses to pursue. The continuous support and guidance from the coordinators and staff of the scholarship program, her parents, and, most especially, her determination to graduate were key factors in her success.

𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 𝘟𝘐-𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

| 𝐃𝐀-𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐗𝐈 𝐅𝐒𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒’ 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 |

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 (𝙁𝙎𝙋), 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩—𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮𝙨.

For this week's success story, meet Ms. Marjorie M. Nudalo, a BFAR XI FSP scholar under the Fisherfolk Children Educational Grant (FCEG) component, who graduated from Davao del Norte State College (DNSC) in SY 2023-2024. Ms. Nudalo, the eldest of four siblings, was grateful for the scholarship, which helped her complete her college degree and provided her with an opportunity to work at BFAR XI. The Fisheries course was not new to her, as she grew up by the sea, with her father being a fisherman. As she recalled, her neighbor, who works at the Local Government Unit of the Island Garden City of Samal, was the one who informed her about the scholarship program. Ms. Nudalo seized the opportunity and applied, as this was her way to enter college.

Interestingly, passing the FSP examination in 2020 was her second attempt at applying because, in her first attempt, she missed the deadline for submitting the application. Ms. Nudalo, along with her three friends, took the exam at the same time, but she was the only one who passed.

Further, for Ms. Nudalo, budgeting her allowance for daily expenses, including fees for the boarding house, food, electricity bills, and school fees, was one of the challenges she faced, as she depends mostly on the monthly stipend. Examinations and thesis work were also included. However, she was able to overcome them all by simply persevering until everything was finished.

“𝘋𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢 𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘩𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘯, 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘬𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘩𝘶𝘮 𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴𝘢 𝘰𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘰 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘪𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘚𝘗.” (I am truly grateful to FSP for helping me become who I am today. I never imagined reaching this point, but FSP was one of the reasons I am here.)

On another note, Ms. Nudalo is eager to grow, especially now that she has become part of BFAR XI. At present, Ms. Nudalo is dedicated to her job, putting in her best effort, and working toward a better future.

𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 𝘟𝘐-𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

| 𝐃𝐀-𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐗𝐈 𝐅𝐒𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒’ 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 |

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 (𝙁𝙎𝙋), 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩—𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮𝙨.

For this week’s success story, meet Ms. Joahra May R. Cañete, one of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) XI Fisheries Scholarship Program (FSP) scholars under the Fisherfolk Children Educational Grant (FCEG) component. She graduated Cum Laude in the Class of 2024 from the Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology in Malita, Davao Occidental.

Ms. Cañete learned about the FSP through her school, which has a strong focus on fisheries-related studies, encouraging students to take advantage of the benefits and opportunities the BFAR FSP program offers. She was motivated to apply for the scholarship, as it was her only hope of pursuing a college education.

As a BFAR scholar and a typical college student, Ms. Cañete faced various challenges, including maintaining her grades, knowing that being a scholar meant upholding high academic standards. Despite this, she found joy in the learning process—embracing new knowledge, gaining valuable experiences, and growing both academically and personally. Additionally, managing the monthly allowance provided by the program was a challenge for her. However, with determination and perseverance, Ms. Cañete was able to balance both financial and academic responsibilities while enjoying the everyday journey of being a student and making the most of the opportunity given to her.

Ms. Cañete also shares that being part of the FSP and being recognized as one of the BFAR scholars has been a source of immense pride. The program has not only provided crucial financial assistance throughout her academic journey but has also played a significant role in shaping her professional path.

“𝘋𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢 𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘰𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨-𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘢. 𝘜𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘬𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺𝘢. 𝘈𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘰𝘯. 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰, 𝘥𝘢𝘥-𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘵-𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘶𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘯. 𝘋𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢 𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘰, 𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 𝘟𝘐!”

(I am grateful for the FSP Scholarship because it has given me the great privilege of continuing and completing my education. It has been a huge help to both my education and my family. The support I received inspired me to work hard and dream of a better future. Now that I have finished my studies, I will take all that I have learned and use it to help others and improve myself. Thank you so much for the opportunity given to me, BFAR XI!)

Furthermore, Ms. Cañete earned the esteemed honor of graduating Cum Laude, reflecting her hard work and academic achievement. Looking back, she believes the key factor that contributed to her success as a scholar was her ability to persevere through difficulties. With the support of the FSP and her determination to succeed, she was able to turn challenges into valuable lessons that shaped her into who she is today.

Ms. Cañete is currently working at BFAR Region XI as part of the Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Unit staff. Her future goals revolve around gaining more experience, whether within or beyond the fisheries sector.

𝘉𝘍𝘈𝘙 𝘟𝘐-𝘍𝘚𝘗 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

Sharing from Fisheries Info Davao ☺️

Sharing from Fisheries Info Davao

𝗕𝗙𝗔𝗥 𝗫𝗜 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶, 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗼 𝗢𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹

BFAR XI made significant strides in fisheries development at the southernmost tip of Mindanao, specifically in the Municipality of Sarangani, Davao Occidental, on February 24, 2025, through a scholarship program and a partnership for aquaculture development.

In a ceremony at Alberto Olarte Sr. National High School, BFAR XI Regional Director Relly B. Garcia and Provincial Fisheries Officer Vilma M. Montojo oversaw the contract signing for the Fisheries Scholarship Program (FSP). The newly qualified scholars and their parents/guardians attended an orientation covering topics on stipends, academic requirements, and performance expectations for their upcoming Bachelor of Science in Fisheries (BSF) degrees. FSP provides financial assistance to students, nurturing a new generation of fisheries professionals.

In a separate engagement, Director Garcia and PFO Montojo met with Mayor Adelan B. de Arce to discuss the implementation of the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program and other initiatives. This included an on-site assessment of potential aquaculture zones to identify areas suitable for diversifying livelihood opportunities within the municipality. This aims to contribute to improving food security and sustainable economic growth.

These initiatives will yield substantial benefits for the Municipality of Sarangani Island, enhancing human capital in the fisheries sector, and promoting economic sustainability through responsible aquaculture development.

Sharing from Fisheries Info Davao

𝐁𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐗𝐈 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬

BFAR XI through its Fisheries Scholarship Program (FSP), conducted its first semestral monitoring and assessment of scholars' performance for the Academic Year 2025 last February 21, 2025.

The activity was held simultaneously at the Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) in Malita, Davao Occidental, and Davao del Norte State College (DNSC) in Panabo City. A total of 44 scholars from DNSC and 14 scholars from SPAMAST participated in the activity.

During the assessment, scholars shared their academic experiences, raised concerns, and expressed their needs. Other support mechanisms from BFAR were also mentioned aiming to address the challenges faced by scholars and enhance their learning journey.

The purpose of the assessment aims to evaluate the academic progress of the scholars and provide necessary support to ensure their continued success.

BFAR XI reaffirmed its commitment to guiding and mentoring scholars to help them achieve their academic and career aspirations in the field of fisheries. The agency ensures that its scholars receive the support they need to excel in their studies and eventually contribute to the development of the country’s fisheries industry.

Additionally, separate feedback sessions were conducted with the schools to address the concerns raised by the scholars and ensure their needs are properly addressed.

Sharing from Fisheries Info Davao

Sharing from Fisheries Info Davao