LGUs must continue enforcing fisheries laws amid ongoing Supreme Court proceedings
Press Release Date: May 20, 2025
The recent Supreme Court ruling on the case filed by Mercidar Fishing has raised concern among municipal fisherfolk, local government units and ocean advocates. However, the decision is not yet final and executory. This means the constitutional and legal protections on the preferential right of small-scale, municipal fishers in the municipal waters for still stand. Enforcement of our fisheries laws must not waiver.
“We urge all coastal LGUs to remain steadfast in implementing the Amended Fisheries Code and related regulations that protect our municipal waters,” said Atty. Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio, Acting Vice President of Oceana. “The law is clear: municipal waters are reserved for artisanal fisherfolk. Allowing commercial vessels to encroach threatens marine ecosystems and millions of Filipinos’ food security and livelihoods.”
In a significant move to counter the threats posed by the decision, a Petition for Certiorari was filed before the Supreme Court on April 24, 2025, led by Kalookan Bishop and Catholic Bishops Conference of the President Cardinal Virgilio ‘Ambo’ David, Constitution framer Atty. Christian Monsod, and the Environmental Legal Assistance Center. The petition seeks to challenge the ruling and protect the constitutional rights of municipal fisherfolk as well as safeguard the country’s marine resources while impleading the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Office of the Solicitor General for their failure to submit their motion for reconsideration in time.
Granting commercial fishers access to municipal waters would gravely undermine small fisherfolk who already face dwindling fish catches due to overfishing and illegal fishing activities, habitat destruction, and the impact of climate change.
The petitioners stress that the Supreme Court must uphold the spirit of the law and ensure that municipal waters are protected from overexploitation. Oceana supports the petition and stands with artisanal fishers in calling for continued vigilance and protective actions from national agencies and LGUs.
What Wavemakers Can Do:
- Stay informed about the developments in the Supreme Court case.
- Support your local fishers by participating in community efforts that protect municipal waters.
- Advocate for strict enforcement of the Amended Fisheries Code within your cities and towns.
- Amplify the voices of artisanal fishers who depend on healthy, thriving seas for their livelihood.
- Join Karagatan Patrol Facebook group and help report illegal fishing activities
Now more than ever, the fight for our oceans and the communities that depend on them needs every Wavemaker’s voice and action.
Together, we protect our seas.