The subproject Ice Plant with Cold Storage of the Department of Agriculture Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in Mariveles, Bataan was inaugurated on September 28, 2018.

Managed by Kaizen Multipurpose Cooperative, the subproject will benefit the fisherfolk members of Batangas II Small Fisher Folks Association (BASFA), Batangas II Fishermen Association (BAFA) and DUGSO Fisherfolk Cooperative as well as the fish processors in the area.

In the past the fisherfolks of the area purchase ice from the nearby homes and “sari-sari” stores. These ice melt faster which proved inefficient in keeping the fish fresh.

The subproject aims to provide accessible block ice to fisherfolk and a storage facility to prolong the freshness of dried fish produced in the area.

The Infrastructure can produce 150 pieces of block ice daily and can store 384 wooden boxes of dried fish that weigh 20 kilos each.

To show their support to the subproject, the Provincial Government of Mariveles provided a generator that can supply electricity to the plant in the instance of power interruptions. (Kayla Lingad, RPCO3 InfoACE)