Fisherfolk group protests commercial fishing at Supreme Court

The Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Mangingisda (Pangisda) on Thursday held a protest before the Supreme Court (SC) against its ruling to allow commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer boundary of municipal waters.

“Itong pagkilos na ito ay dahil bahagi ng pagdiriwang at anibersaryo ng Fisheries Code at kahilingan namin sa Korte Suprema na kilalanin ‘yung kasaysayan ng pagsasabatas ng RA 8550,” Pangisda president Pablo Rosales said.

(This protest is in celebration of the anniversary of the Fisheries Code and our call to the SC to recognize the history of the enactment of RA 8550.) 

In January, the SC’s First Division upheld a regional trial court (RTC) decision that declared certain provisions of the Fisheries Code and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) unconstitutional.

The RTC had also issued a permanent injunction preventing authorities from enforcing the 15-kilometer municipal water limit.

Rosales said the decision had a big impact on their livelihood.

“Ang average sa amin, sa pag-aaral namin, ang average na huli ng mangingisda sa panahon ng marami at wala, limang kilo na lang,” he said.

(Based on our study, the average that a fisherman could get is five kilos.)

He said this may further decrease to three kilos.

Rosales said their security was also affected.

“Walang habas sila nangingisda sa municipal water, tatamaan ang aming sariling palakaya, masisira ang aming palakaya, at madalas nababangga pa kami sa laot,” he said.

(They relentlessly fish in the municipal waters, affecting our own fishing activities, damaging our equipment, and we often end up colliding with them.)

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has also filed a motion for reconsideration before the SC to reconsider its ruling. — BM, GMA Integrated News