By Juliane Judilla
Various municipal fisherfolk organizations gathered for a National Assembly of Municipal Fisherfolk on Feb. 4 to protest the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishing vessels in municipal waters.
Militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) described the assembly as a rare opportunity for small fisherfolk to unite and defend their traditional fishing grounds.
“For the first time, different groups of small fishers will come together in a united call to protect the 15-kilometer municipal fishing grounds from large commercial interests,” said PAMALAKAYA Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo.
“This gathering is meaningful because it will allow small fishers to share their experiences of commercial fishing encroachment in their fishing areas.”
The assembly called on the Supreme Court to reverse its decision and highlighted the challenges small fisherfolk face under policies favoring commercial fishing.
“The assembly not only urges the Court to reconsider its ruling but also raises awareness of the struggles of small fishers due to government policies that favor commercial fishing,” Arambulo added.
The event was attended by numerous fisherfolk organizations, including Katipunan ng mga Kilusan ng mga Artisanong Mangingisda sa Pilipinas (KKAMPI), Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK), Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Mangingisda (PANGISDA), Samahan ng mga Maliliit na Mangingisda Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (SAMAMA-AMA), Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka at Mangingisda (PAMANGKA-PAKISAMA), Philippine Alliance of Tuna Handliners for Sustainability (PATHS), Tanon Strait Fisherfolk Alliance, and Visayan Sea Fisherfolk Alliance.
Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also participated, including NGOs for Fisheries Reform (NFR), Institute of Social Order (ISO), Tambuyog Development Center (TDC), BALAOD Mindanaw, ICSI, PRRM, Zoological Society of London, and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ).
The assembly served as a platform to coordinate the municipal fishing sector’s response to current challenges, amplify their voices, and strengthen their unity in protecting their rights over municipal waters.
The Supreme Court ruling stemmed from a petition by Mercidar Fishing Corporation, a large commercial fishing vessel operator, before the Regional Trial Court of Malabon, challenging the preferential rights of small fisherfolk in municipal waters.
The decision has sparked widespread concern among local fishers, who fear that commercial fishing will further threaten their livelihoods.
In Iloilo, several lawmakers and institutions have also urged the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling.
Iloilo Fifth District Board Member Binky April Tupas proposed a resolution, which the Iloilo Provincial Board approved, expressing support for the province’s fisherfolk associations in opposing the Supreme Court decision.
Board Member Tupas warned that the ruling would significantly impact small fisherfolk’s livelihoods, food security, and environmental conservation efforts in the province.
Meanwhile, Fifth District Representative Raul Tupas pushed for a review of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8550) to better protect municipal fishers.
“Our marginalized fisherfolk will be greatly affected if this decision stands,” he said in a radio interview on Feb. 3.
“If commercial fishing vessels are allowed to enter municipal waters, there will be almost nothing left for our ordinary fishermen,” he added.
According to the 2023 Provincial Fisheries Profile, Iloilo has 60,470 fisherfolk across 19 coastal municipalities, with a 613.32-kilometer coastline rich in diverse fish species and coral reefs.
Recently, Provincial Administrator Raul Banias met with academics and various fisherfolk associations to discuss the Supreme Court ruling’s impact on small-scale fishers in Iloilo.
Banias assured that the provincial government would take all necessary steps to ensure that Iloilo’s petition and position paper opposing the ruling would be heard.
Under the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, the 15-kilometer municipal waters are designated as protected areas to safeguard marine habitats and ecosystems and support marginalized communities.
This protection has been crucial for small-scale fisherfolk, many of whom belong to the country’s poorest sectors.
ISUFST STANDS UP
The Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) has joined several institutions, communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local government units (LGUs) in opposing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling allowing commercial fishers in municipal waters.
The university believes the decision undermines protections crucial to small-scale fishers.
As the country’s first and only fisheries university, ISUFST calls for the continued safeguarding of municipal waters, which are vital to environmental sustainability and the livelihood of tens of thousands of community fishers.
In its position paper published on Jan. 31, 2025, ISUFST stressed the importance of protecting municipal waters for small fishers who rely on these resources for food and income.
The university warned that 64% of coastal fisheries are already overfished and that allowing commercial fishing in municipal waters could further harm small fishers and marine ecosystems.
The university, based in the Fourth District of Iloilo, also raised concerns about the damage commercial fishing could inflict on coral reefs and seagrass beds, which are crucial for marine biodiversity and local economies.
It pointed out that commercial fishing practices often involve illegal, unreported, and unregulated activities that degrade the environment and threaten the resources of small fishers.
ISUFST emphasized that the 1987 Philippine Constitution grants preferential access to communal marine resources for subsistence fishers, a right that the ruling could undermine.
“Among society’s most vulnerable, small-scale fishers rely on exclusive access to municipal waters for survival. Allowing commercial vessels here would undermine social justice and disregard their vital dependence on these resources,” the university said.
The university also cited several scientific studies urging the government to uphold the ban on commercial fishing in municipal waters.
Research shows that commercial fishing worsens overfishing and depletes marine life, posing long-term risks to the sustainability of the country’s fisheries.
ISUFST stressed the need for a cautious approach to protect marine resources and ensure that future generations can continue to depend on the sea for livelihood and food.
Many ISUFST students come from families of small-scale fishers who rely on municipal waters for their sustenance.
With this in mind, the university called for immediate action to protect these waters, both for present and future generations.
“We urge the government and all stakeholders to honor their commitment to environmental protection and social justice—one of ISUFST’s guiding principles—by upholding this crucial policy,” the university’s statement concluded.
