Fisherfolk group says fuel aid delayed, insufficient amid soaring oil prices

A fisherfolk group on Tuesday said government fuel subsidies remain both delayed and inadequate, as rising oil prices continue to cripple the livelihood of small-scale fishers.

Fernando Hicap, national chairperson of PAMALAKAYA, said many fisherfolk have yet to receive the promised subsidy, even as fuel costs have surged in recent weeks.

“Oo kasi yung pangako nila na tatlong libo, actually sabi nila 2025 budget pa ‘to no doon sa fuel subsidy hanggang ngayon wala pa… halos tatlong linggo na itong sumirit yung presyo ng gasolina na halos doble na yung gastos ng mangingisda kaya napakabagal at wala pa talagang natatanggap yung mga mangingisda,” Hicap said during a Balitanghali interview. 

(The P3,000 subsidy they promised—supposedly from the 2025 budget has still not been released. Fuel prices have been surging for nearly three weeks now, almost doubling the expenses of fishermen, yet the assistance remains very slow and many have not received anything at all.)

He added that only around 14,000 to 15,000 fisherfolk are covered by the subsidy, based on government data, compared to over 300,000 registered municipal fishers.

“Maliban doon… kakarampot… ayon sa DA ang kaya lang na allocation nila para sa mga mangingisda ay 14,000 o sabihin natin mga 15,000… yung registered fishing boat sa municipal water is more than 300,000,” he said.

(Aside from that, the amount is very small. According to the DA, the allocation only covers around 14,000 to 15,000 fishermen, while the number of registered municipal fisherfolk exceeds 300,000.)

According to the group, the continuous rise in fuel prices has forced some fisherfolk to stop going out to sea, as operating costs become too high.

“Yes, tama po ‘yun… bago pa man tumaas ‘to… nasa 80% na ang total na gastos namin napupunta sa gasolina… kaya ngayon yung iba hindi na kayang makapangisda, nakikisama na lang sa may kapasidad,” Hicap said.

(Yes, that’s true. Even before the recent increase, about 80% of our total expenses already went to fuel. Now, some fishermen can no longer afford to go out to sea and are just joining others who still have the capacity.)

He added that more fishers are now sharing boats, increasing from two or three per vessel to as many as four or five, resulting in smaller income shares.

The group then renewed its call for faster and more inclusive distribution of fuel subsidies as oil prices continue to rise. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BM, GMA Integrated News