Oceana Decries Government Moves to Open Municipal Waters to Commercial Fishing, Calls it “Stealing from the Poorest”
On World Food Day
Press Release Date: October 16, 2025
Manila, October 16, 2025 – On World Food Day, a global event dedicated to tackling hunger and ensuring food security for all, international marine conservation group Oceana denounced moves by the Philippine government to amend the Fisheries Code and open up its vital provisions that prohibit commercial fishing in municipal waters currently reserved for artisanal and small-scale fishers.
At the recent budget hearings in Congress, officials of the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) shared that they intend to push amendments to the Fisheries Code, which would allow commercial fishing in municipal waters that are deeper than 20 fathoms.
Oceana said this undermines BFAR’s own petition asking the Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling made in December 2024. This resolution issued by the Supreme Court First Division upheld the Malabon Regional Trial Court decision, declaring as unconstitutional certain provisions of the Republic Act 10654 (Fisheries Code, as amended), and allowed Mercidar, a commercial fishing company to operate in municipal waters.
The proposed amendments to the Fisheries Code are also included in the list of priority legislative measures of the administration for the 20th Congress.
Oceana Vice President Von Hernandez decried these developments, stressing that these latest moves by the administration is “tantamount to stealing from the nation’s poorest” and will “negate efforts to reverse the continuing decline of the country’s fisheries resources.
“This runs contrary to the President’s latest pronouncements on food security and poverty alleviation. How can you seriously say you want to lift the plight of the poor and eradicate hunger when you allow big companies to extract and profit from their resources and undermine their sources of livelihood?” Hernandez added.
Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that fisherfolk remain among the poorest of the poor, ranking 2nd in poverty incidence from 2021 to 2023. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has also identified improving food security and alleviating poverty as part of his administration’s flagship programs, but Hernandez said, both would be undermined by opening municipal waters to commercial fishing.
Oceana expressed solidarity with PANGISDA Pilipinas, Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, and other civil society groups during their press conference this morning to push for food sovereignty. They called on the people to show their strength and vigilance not only against corruption but also on the destructive impact of losses in public goods and services resulting in hunger and poverty, environmental plunder, and failure in governance.
Farmers, fisherfolk, urban poor communities, and youth and students marched along the Elliptical Road in Quezon City and staged protest actions outside the offices of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. (END)
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 325 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit Oceana.org to learn more.
For More Information:
Joyce Sierra, Communications Manager, Oceana
Mobile: 09178214430 E-mail: jsierra@oceana.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/oceana.philippines
Twitter: @oceana_ph Instagram: @oceana_ph