Oceana slams BFAR for siding with commercial fishers

MANILA — International marine conservation group Oceana has accused the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of betraying the country’s artisanal fisherfolk by adopting a pro-commercial fishing interpretation of a controversial Supreme Court ruling instead of defending municipal waters from encroachment by large fishing operators.

Oceana specifically criticized BFAR for its handling of the implications arising from the Supreme Court decision favoring Mercidar Fishing Corporation.

The group has earlier criticized the agency for its sloppy handling of the case that led to the high court’s adverse ruling.

“Instead of fighting for the rights of 2.2 million municipal fisherfolk as mandated by law and the Constitution, the BFAR is interpreting the Supreme Court First Division ruling in a way that benefits large commercial fleets,” Oceana Vice President Von Hernandez said in a press statement.

“This lamentable interpretation of the ruling, which is not yet final, is unfortunately causing widespread confusion among local government units, enforcement agencies and fisherfolk. One wonders whether this is part of an intentional effort to set the narrative and slowly open municipal waters to commercial fishing interests,” he added.

BFAR Director Elizer Salilig stated during a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture that the SC ruling now allows Mercidar to fish in municipal waters and that this will not affect municipal fishers.

Senator Kiko Pangilinan cited the testimonies of local government officials and fisherfolk to the contrary because commercial fishing operators now entering municipal waters are unfairly competing with the catch of municipal fishers, causing the rapid decline of the latter’s catch and income.

Oceana’s strong condemnation comes amid growing concerns from the artisanal fishing sector, which was highlighted during the same Senate hearing chaired by Senator Francis Pangilinan.

National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Artisanal Fisherfolk Sectoral Representative Restituto del Rosario stated his position on the continuous illegal commercial fishing inside municipal waters.

“Ang nararanasan po namin ngayon ay patuloy ang paglayo namin para makahuli ng isda, pagtagal ng oras para mangisda at paliit na po ang nahuhuli. Patunay lang po ito na base po sa karanasan namin na nagpapatunay ang unti-unting pagkaubos ng isda sa municipal water. At nakakatawa din binanggit kanina na ang dami palang dapat tumulong sa amin: andiyan ang Coast Guard, Maritime, Local Government, iba’t ibang ahensya ng gobyerno. Pero ang tanong po — bakit nananatili po kami ang pangalawa sa pinakamahirap na sektor ng mga manggagawa?”

 

Barangay leader Marlon Limok of Nasugbu, Batangas recounted how their Bantay Dagat team apprehended a commercial fishing vessel owned by Mercidar last October, which was found fishing just 10 kilometers from the shore.

“Napakalaki ng epekto na, iyong volume ng isda… almost 15,000 kilos yung nandoon sa ilalim. Kung yun po ay huhulihin ng ating municipal fisherfolk, hindi niya kayang ubusin sa ilang buwan na pangingisda.”

Oceana warned that BFAR’s current narrative trajectory, combined with external pressures like rising fuel costs, creates a perfect storm for illegal incursions.

The group noted that soaring fuel prices make it economically tempting for commercial fishers to fish illegally closer to shore, further robbing municipal fishers of their catch and income.

“The increasing price of fuel brought on by the ongoing war in the Middle East should prompt BFAR and our enforcement agencies to double down on vessel monitoring measures and work more closely with local government units to uphold the law to protect the 15-kilometer municipal waters instead of legitimizing its plunder,” Hernandez added.

Oceana’s warning is bolstered by its own Fisheries Audit report that looked into the implementation of the Amended Fisheries Code, Republic Act 10654.

The report found that despite progressive laws, the Philippine fisheries sector is in rapid decline, with the country losing over 45 million kilos of fish annually and fisherfolk families remaining mired in poverty.

The group calls on BFAR to abandon its pro-commercial fishing stance and instead focus on robust enforcement and support for local government units in protecting their municipal waters.

“Our fishers are the ones putting food on our table, yet they are the ones going hungry and struggling from poverty. Instead of enforcing science-based recovery measures as mandated by law, DA-BFAR is peddling amendments that would let commercial fishing fleets raid municipal waters – the final refuge for our recovering stocks and small fishers. This is incompetence meeting greed, and it’s shrinking our fisheries and emptying people’s nets,” Hernandez stated.