Fisherfolk in Miagao Protest Supreme Court Ruling

By Juliane Judilla

Around 150 small-scale fisherfolk convened at the Audio Visual Hall, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas in Miagao, Iloilo on March 5 to discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing commercial fishing in municipal waters.

Organized by the UPV University Student Council, the forum featured and garnered insights from various fisherfolk associations in Miagao and several towns in Iloilo.

Ronnel Arambulo, a MAKABAYAN senatorial candidate and leader of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), addressed the forum, highlighting the adverse effects of the ruling on small-scale fisherfolk, especially in coastal communities like Miagao.

Arambulo criticized the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) for its lack of urgency during the court trials. He also pointed to Judge Zaldy Docena’s involvement in similar cases, such as suspending the prohibition on hulbot-hulbot (a destructive fishing method) and enforcing mandatory vessel monitoring.

“This is not an isolated issue,” Arambulo said. “Although we live in different regions, we are experiencing the same thing. We will push for the Aquatic Reform Bill to protect our livelihoods and ensure that fisherfolk can rise above these challenges.”

Manuel Naciongayo Jr., president of the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council (MFARMC) of Miagao, shared the struggles faced by local fisherfolk.

“We are slowly being killed,” Naciongayo said. “Compared to commercial operators capable of amassing tons of catch within hours, municipal fishers face costs that are higher than their earnings.”

He added that commercial fishing vessels equipped with underwater superlights, sonars, and active fishing gears are accelerating the depletion of marine resources, leaving small-scale fishers at a disadvantage.

Arambulo and Naciongayo called on the public to unite, sign petitions, demand accountability from local government units (LGUs), and support small-scale fishers. They emphasized that gathering signatures from at least 3% of the national population could help overturn the ruling.

Arambulo vowed to continue fighting for the rights of fisherfolk, asserting that their livelihoods and access to municipal waters must be protected.

“As long as the problem is not addressed, we will keep acting,” Arambulo said. “We will return to the streets again and again as long as we are united.”

The Supreme Court First Division, on December 18, 2024, upheld a Malabon Regional Trial Court decision that allows commercial fishing operations within the jurisdiction of coastal LGUs. The ruling declared the Fisheries Code’s preferential access provisions unconstitutional, effectively permitting commercial fishing in municipal waters.

The decision, filed in response to a petition by Mercidar Fishing Corp., allows commercial vessels to fish in waters deeper than 7.3 fathoms (42 feet). Nearly 90% of municipal waters fall within this depth, which PAMALAKAYA warns could threaten the livelihoods of 2.3 million small-scale fisherfolk nationwide.