A BILL being prepared by fisherfolk and the Makabayan bloc of Congress will seek to ban commercial fishing operations in municipal waters, citing the need to protect fishing communities.
The draft bill to be filed by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) and Makabayan sets a 15-kilometer zone from which large-scale fishing operations will be banned.
The bill’s proponents claim that 90% of municipal waters are exhausted because of commercial fishing, leaving little for subsistence fisherfolk.
The draft bill follows a Supreme Court decision that struck down as unconstitutional previous rules granting preferential rights to fisherfolk in municipal waters.
PAMALAKAYA Chairman Fernando L. Hicap said “overfishing” by commercial operations threatens harm to fishing communities.
“Kapag pinapasok pa natin iyan doon sa dapat exclusively para sa mga maliit na mangingisda, mauubos iyon at mawawala tayo ng produksyon. Malaki ang mawawala na kita at gutom, compare mo doon sa mga commercial fishing (When commercial operations intrude into areas designated for fisherfolk, the fish will be depleted, leaving nothing for fishing communities, depriving them of earnings and leaving them hungry).”
Mr. Hicap said protecting fisherfolk will contribute to lower fish prices relative to fish shipped in from overseas.
Should the bill be passed, Mr. Hicap said municipal areas will need to be rehabilitated.
He said seaside rehabilitation could take over 50 years to repair, with coral reefs needing around a century to recover.
Mr. Hicap also called for a freeze on fish imports to support small-scale fisherfolk.
“Ang tinutulungan natin sa pag–iimport ay ang ibang bansa, hindi sa pagpapa-unlad ng ating industriya (By importing, we only help foreigners and neglect our own industries).” — Andre Christopher H. Alampay