Oceana and fisherfolk leader condemn the court ruling declaring the 15-km municipal water reserved for municipal fishers as unconstitutional
Press Release Date: December 23, 2024
International marine protection group, Oceana and Pablo Rosales, President of PANGISDA Pilipinas condemn the ruling of the Supreme Court’s First Division upholding the Malabon Regional Trial Court’s decision on the petition of Mercidar Fishing Corporation to declare the preferential access of municipal fisherfolk to 15-kilometer municipal water unconstitutional, among others.
“In the past five years, we have been working hard with partners from the public, private and civil society sectors to achieve science-based management and rebuild our fisheries through much-needed reforms under RA 10654 which amended RA 8550, the Fisheries Code, as our fisheries are already adversely impacted from impacts of overfishing and illegal fishing and other human-induced pressures. These genuine reforms include establishment of science-based and participatory fisheries management areas, implementation of tracking device for all commercial fishing vessels and having the platforms for stakeholders like our poverty-stricken artisanal fisherfolk in the management body. The Constitution is likewise clear on the social justice provision that mandates the preferential access to artisanal fisherfolk in the 15-kilometer municipal waters. The designation of this protected zone in the Fisheries Code as amended by RA 10654 was based on science – on the need to protect the important and interconnected marine habitats and ecosystems that will help restore our fisheries. Despite this provision, overfishing and illegal commercial fishing were and remain pervasive and which have caused our fish population to decline,” said Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana Vice President.
“This resolution will create confusion among enforcement agencies including our coastal cities and municipalities which are already hard-pressed with enforcement and performing their mandate of protecting municipal waters and the livelihoods of their constituents amid meager funds This send a wrong signal to the industry to continue the overexploitation of our dwindling fish stocks, despite science backing it up. From the start, as this is an environmental issue and governed by the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases, the various stakeholders should have been included as indispensable parties to the case.”
Fisherfolk are alarmed that this decision will render them even poorer than their current already dire condition. They anticipate the fish stocks to be depleted further and that its recovery will be almost impossible.
“Dapat iisa ang tunguhin ng judiciary, executive at lehislatura. Nilikha ang batas na ito na matagal nang ipinatutupad. Kami nga na artisanong mga mangingisda, humahanap ng paraan para mabuhay habang sumusunod sa batas. Batas yan eh, may pinagdaanang proseso. Bakit hindi sundin?” said Pablo Rosales, PANGISDA Pilipinas President.
In a statement issued to the media, Oceana and PANGISDA Pilipinas said the government faces an even bigger problem ahead if it will not act on the efforts of commercial fishing companies like Mercidar to undermine the implementation of existing laws as they foresee massive hunger and even more abject poverty that will spread in coastal communities due to unabated exploitation of our marine resources. (END)
For possible interview of Gloria Estenzo Ramos and Pablo “Ka Pabs” Rosales, please contact:
Joyce E. Sierra – Oceana Communications Manager, 0917 821 4430, jsierra@oceana.org