Senators, fishers push to protect municipal waters from commercial vessels

PASAY CITY — Sen. Raffy Tulfo devoted the Senate’s privilege hour on Wednesday, Sept. 30, to the plight of Filipino small-scale fishers, citing abuse by big commercial fishing corporations and the negligent execution of laws that he said drive them into generational poverty.

“Waters meant for small fishers are often taken by those with more resources,” Tulfo said in his privilege speech.

“Only 15.2% of Philippine marine waters are classified as municipal waters.”

“Ito na nga lang ang nakalaan para sa 2.6 million nating mangingisda—itong manipis po na 307,590 square kilometers out of the 2.2 million square kilometers of maritime territory, inaagawan pa sila ng mga Goliath, ng mga commercial fishing vessels na ito.”

Philippine law declares waters within 15 kilometers of the shoreline as municipal waters and reserves them for the use of municipal, artisanal, and small-scale fishers.

These shallower waters also house the coral reefs that serve as spawning grounds for fish.

The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, or Republic Act 8550, was later amended by Republic Act 10654 in 2015.

Tulfo said the encroachment of commercial vessels into municipal waters contributes greatly to overfishing in the area, leading to a smaller catch for poor fisherfolk.

“Kaya naman, kahit malayo o delikado, lumalayo po sila upang makahuli lang at makapag-uwi ng kita sa kanilang mga pamilya,” he said.

“At ano naman ang ginawa ng mga Goliath?”

“Of course, kumuha naman ng magagaling na mga abogado upang labanan itong 15-kilometer rule na ito.”

Tulfo also pushed for passage of the Municipal Water Protection Act (Senate Bill 522), which he co-authored with Sen. Loren Legarda.

The bill seeks to restore the original intent of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 and to keep the law from drifting away from the municipal fisherfolk who depend on it for survival.

Two other senators supported Tulfo’s assertion.

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, expressed his commitment to move the bill in his committee to hasten its passage.

Pangilinan cited fisheries data already showing the disparity between the catch of commercial fishing and that of small-scale fishers.

“Last year, 2024 to 2025, bumagsak ang output ng small fisherfolk habang umangat naman yung output ng commercial fishers,” Pangilinan said.

“Ika nga eh, yung mahirap, lalong humihirap, habang yung mayaman, lalong yung mayaman.”

Sen. Risa Hontiveros also expressed her support for Tulfo’s manifestation, saying the lower court’s siding with commercial fishing interests had catastrophic effects on the lives of small-scale fishers.

“Ang desisyong ito ay isang matinding dagok sa kabuhayan ng mahigit dalawang milyong artisanal fisherfolk dahil pinahihintulutan ang mga dambuhalang barko na ubusin ang huli sa mga mabababaw na municipal waters na nagsisilbing pangunahing source ng pagkain at kita ng mga lokal na komunidad,” she said.

Artisanal fishers’ group PANGISDA Pilipinas welcomed the senators’ moves to stop commercial fishing inside municipal waters, something it has long demanded.

“Lumalalim ang kahirapan dahil sa tuloy-tuloy ang pagkaunti ng nahuhili ng maliliit na mangingisda sa 15-kilometrong munisipal na pangisdaan,” said Pablo Rosales, president of PANGISDA Pilipinas.

“Bunga ito ng tuloy-tuloy na pagnanakaw ng komersyal na pangingisda sa ating mga baybayin.”

“Kaya makatarungan ang lahat ng pagsisikap na patigilin ang mga komersyal sa patuloy na pagsamsam at pagwasak sa likas yaman ng pangisdaan at maputol ang lantarang sabwatan ng kapitalista, ahensya at korte sa pandarambong sa ating likas na yaman ng pangisdaan.”

International marine conservation group Oceana joined PANGISDA in supporting the Senate move for stronger protection of the 15-kilometer municipal waters.

“When large commercial fishers invade municipal waters, they aren’t just taking fish – they are stealing the future of our small-scale fishers, The data is clear – this encroachment is driving artisanal fishers deeper into poverty as their catch dwindles,” said Von Hernandez, Oceana vice president.

“Stealing their livelihood denies these communities the basic right to food, and nutrition for their communities, and the ability to secure a better future for their families.”

Karagatan Patrol, an online platform developed by Oceana and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), showed that commercial fishing intrusions inside municipal waters rose from 26,295 in 2022 to 31,843 in 2024.

Within the same period, municipal fishing production fell from 951,000 metric tons in 2022 to 805,000 metric tons in 2024.

In a Fisheries Audit report released this year, Oceana said the country’s fisheries have declined steeply for the past 13 years, with catch decreasing by 45 million kilos each year and 88% of assessed fish stocks found to be overfished, or captured extensively beyond their capacity to recover.

The report attributed the decline primarily to the continuous intrusion of commercial fishing inside the 15-kilometer municipal waters.

PANGISDA Pilipinas and Oceana are working together to ensure that bills strengthening municipal water protection, now pending in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, are passed into law.