Palawan Bans Commercial Fishing in Municipal Waters, Sets New Standard for Coastal Protection
Press Release Date: April 14, 2026
Oceana calls on other LGUs to step up and strictly enforce protection of municipal waters to protect fisherfolk
Oceana lauds the provincial government of Palawan for passing the ordinance that prohibits all commercial fishing activities within its municipal waters. The international marine conservation group also calls on the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to release data from vessel monitoring systems to help local and national enforcement agencies stop the operations of commercial fishing inside the 15-kilometer water from the shore.
On March 26, Palawan Governor Amy Roa Alvarez signed into law Provincial Ordinance No. 3761, Series of 2026. This makes Palawan the first province to enact a binding local law that shuts out commercial fleets from the 15-kilometer municipal water zone and reserves it exclusively for small-scale municipal fishers.
“As larger commercial fishing pressures continue to affect our waters, we need to make sure that the benefits of our marine resources are felt more by our local communities and across the Palawan economy. At the same time, we recognize that behind these vessels are workers who are also trying to earn a living,” said Alvarez in a statement released to the media. “I stand by this: fishing remains part of our bread and butter, but it must be sustainable. Hindi puwedeng one-time big time lang. Kailangan nating protektahan ang ating dagat dahil hindi lang ito likas yaman, ito rin ang pinagkukunan ng pagkain at kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan. What matters is making sure local communities get their rightful share and that our seas continue to provide, not just for today, but for the years ahead.”
Alvarez signed the ordinance into law the same day it was transmitted to her office. She cited alarming reports from island municipalities in Palawan of vessels from the Mercidar Fishing Corporation and other large commercial fishing vessels, or lantsa, coming from as far as Manila, Batangas, Mindoro and Iloilo operating within just five kilometers of their shores.
Palawan Board Member Ryan Maminta, principal author of the ordinance warned that the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling allowing the Mercidar Fishing Corporation to fish inside municipal waters would devastate the long-term health of Palawan’s marine resources, given the capacity of large commercial vessels to strip fishing grounds bare in a matter of days. The ordinance, he said, is Palawan’s answer: municipal waters are for municipal fisherfolk, and the province will use every legal tool at its disposal to keep it that way.
“Itong ordinansa ng Palawan ay tagumpay para sa aming mga mangingisda at mga katutubo. Ang dagat ay hindi lang hanapbuhay para sa amin—ito ang aming palengke, bangko, at ospital. Kung papayagan ang mga komersyal na mangingisda sa aming municipal waters, mawawala ang lahat ng aming ipinaglaban. Huwag na sana nating hintaying maging alaala na lamang ang masaganang pangisdaan na ating kinamulatan,” said Fredil Muid, a fisherfolk leader from the Calamian Tagbanua indigenous group of Palawan and representative of Indigenous Peoples in the National Technical Working Group for the National Plan of Action on Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF).
With the rising fuel prices and pressure on food supply, Alvarez said this is no longer a distant issue but about tighter budgets, smaller catches, and the quiet worry of families trying to put food on the table. “This is why we must protect our municipal waters and make sure that the marine resources within them continue to serve the small scale fisherfolk and coastal communities who depend on them most,” she added.
The ordinance declares as provincial policy the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of Palawan’s municipal waters. Violators face both administrative and criminal penalties. Aside from Maminta, the ordinance was authored by Rafael V. Ortega Jr., Juan Antonio E. Alvarez, Roseller S. Pineda, Ariston D. Arzaga, and Maria Angela V. Sabando, and approved during the 34th Regular Session of the 45th Sangguniang Panlalawigan on March 17, 2026.
“This development draws a clear and necessary line – Palawan’s municipal waters belong to its municipal fisherfolk. At a time when our national fisheries are on freefall decline, this is exactly the kind of bold, science-grounded local action that the Fisheries Code demands. We call on other provinces to follow Palawan’s lead,” said Von Hernandez, Oceana Vice President. “The law already gives them the tools; what’s needed is the courage to use them,” he added.
The ordinance adds teeth to growing pushback by local governments against commercial fishing incursions. During the February 18 hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, local chief executives from across the country testified on the damage that commercial fishing has inflicted on their communities and the failure of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to stop it.
Oceana also renewed its call on the BFAR to fulfill its duty to share the data from their monitoring and surveillance of commercial fishing operations with Palawan and other LGUs, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine National Police–Maritime Group to strictly and efficiently guard municipal waters from illegal commercial fishing activities. The BFAR said it has installed transponders on more than 90% of commercial fishing vessels but the agency is yet to share the data from this system with enforcement agencies.
Oceana’s satellite monitoring initiative Karagatan Patrol found more than 5,000 apparent commercial fishing vessels inside Palawan’s municipal waters each year in 2024 and 2025. This is a 40% increase from only 2,989 detected commercial fishing vessels in 2022.
“The technology is there. The data exists. What is missing is the political will to use it. Every day that BFAR withholds vessel monitoring data is another day that commercial fishing vessels illegally operate inside municipal waters with impunity. The continuous intrusion of commercial fishing vessels is one of the major causes of overfishing and the reason why we are losing an average of 45 million kilos of fish catch every year,” Hernandez added.
A recent Oceana study found that Philippine fisheries is losing 45 million kilograms of fish annually, with 88% of assessed fish stocks already overfished or depleted. Over 353,000 fisherfolk families now live below the poverty line. (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
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