Good news for Bantay Dagat volunteers this new year.

The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) renewed the financial insurance program for deputized Bantay Dagat volunteers this 2025.

This year, the DA-BFAR, through the Information and Fisherfolk Coordination Unit, has enrolled 6,800 volunteers, increasing the number of insured individuals by 47 percent from last year’s 3,545 beneficiaries.

“The Bantay Dagat Insurance Program (BDIP) enforces the government’s commitment to serve the fisheries sector and safeguard the welfare of Filipino fishers, who under the spirit of volunteerism, tirelessly protect our coastal resources and marine biodiversity against illegal and unsustainable fishing,” BFAR Officer-in-Charge National Director Isidro M. Velayo, Jr. said.

The BDIP falls under the Agricultural Producers Protection Plan of the PCIC, which covers death insurance for enrolled agricultural producers, farmers, fisherfolk, and other stakeholders due to accident, natural causes, and murder or assault.

Last year, family members of approximately 10 Bantay Dagat volunteers from regions 5, 9, 11, and 12 were able to receive financial assistance from the Bantay Dagat Insurance Program.

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