ROBERTO BALLON’s fisherfolk group has long wanted to stop sourcing their fingerlings from the mangroves they planted because that disturbs the environment and ecological balance of the area
For 2021 Ramon Magsaysay awardee Roberto Ballon, who thinks having food for his family is an award in itself, having a hatchery for fingerlings in the coastal town of Kabasalan in Zamboanga Sibugay is a dream come true. Ballon, the Filipino awardee of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards, wanted a hatchery where they could source the fingerlings of high-value fish, crablets, and oysters spawn for their fish cages. That dream is coming true right before his very eyes. Ballon’s group, the Kapunungan sa Gagmay ng Mangingisda Sa Concepcion, will benefit from a memorandum of agreement between the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), an intergovernmental agency that promotes sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
This article was originally published by Rappler. Read the full story at https://www.rappler.com/environment/ramon-magsaysay-awardee-ballon-to-get-hatchery-zamboanga-sibugay.