When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came to Bislig on May 6, 2026, city records described the fish port as a site still being validated. Four months later, the city council's own resolutions describe it differently: the Bislig City Fish Port in Barangay Mangagoy has been constructed and completed, and is waiting for its inauguration and official turnover.
Two resolutions adopted by the Sangguniang Panlungsod in August and September 2026 show what the city wants to happen next.
A dry run before the turnover
Resolution No. 2026-748, adopted on September 1, 2026 and authored by Vice Mayor Conrad C. Cejoco, asks the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), through its general manager Atty. Glen A. Pangapalan, to authorize the City Government of Bislig to conduct a dry run of the fish port "pending its inauguration and official turn-over."
The resolution calls the completed port "a major milestone in local economic infrastructure," designed as a hub for fish landing, post-harvest processing, commercial trading and maritime commerce for Bislig and nearby towns in Surigao del Sur.
According to the resolution, a dry run would let the city:
- test operational logistics and personnel deployment
- assess how vessels dock at the port
- evaluate waste management and sanitation protocols
- fine-tune administrative procedures, security and safety rules
The goal, it says, is to catch "operational defects, utility adjustments, and workflow bottlenecks" early, before the facility formally opens.
The depth problem
A second resolution points to a problem that a dry run alone cannot fix. Resolution No. 2026-705, authored by Councilor Victor B. Alvar, Jr. and adopted on August 18, 2026, asks PFDA to expand the Bislig Fishport "to address the depth problem" so it can take larger fishing vessels.
The resolution says the port's current depth is "highly inadequate" because of continuous natural siltation and the limits of its original structural design. Larger boats cannot dock directly, especially at low tide. Instead, they anchor offshore and move their catch to shore in smaller boats.
That workaround, the council says, means higher operating costs, longer unloading times, possible loss of fish quality and safety hazards for workers. It also notes a growing number of commercial operators in Bislig using bigger vessels that need deeper drafts. The council asks for expansion and "comprehensive dredging" of the basin and navigational channel.
A fisheries complex written into city law
The city has also legislated around the port. Ordinance No. 2026-18, enacted on July 21, 2026, is titled "An Ordinance Establishing a Multipurpose Fisheries Complex in the Bislig City Fish Port, Barangay Mangagoy, and Providing Guidelines for its Operation and Preservation." The full text has not been posted on the city's ordinance page as of October 24, 2026, so Bislig Today cannot yet report its specific rules.
How long this has been coming
The project goes back years. On May 19, 2023, Mayor Florencio C. Garay met PFDA officials in Quezon City, where the agency committed an additional P100 million for phase 2 of the Mangagoy fish port, according to the city government. At that meeting, the city discussed developing the surrounding area with private cold storage, an administrator's office, a BFAR office, a fish car terminal and a spot where fresh catch could be cooked and sold.
What is still unknown
Neither the city nor PFDA has published a date for the inauguration or the dry run. Bislig Today found no PFDA announcement on whether the dry run was approved or whether dredging is planned. We will update readers when either agency releases details.
Sources: City of Bislig, Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution Nos. 2026-705 (August 18, 2026) and 2026-748 (September 1, 2026), and Ordinance No. 2026-18 (July 21, 2026), published at bislig.gov.ph; City Government of Bislig, "Conference With The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA)," May 2023.