AGRI RENEWS CALL FOR STRICTER IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS TO PROTECT LIVELIHOOD OF SMALL-SCALE FISHERFOLK

AGRI Party-list Rep. Manoy Wilbert Lee urged the government to safeguard the livelihood of small-scale fishermen, as he expressed support to the petition filed recently before the Supreme Court (SC) by Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, Constitution framer Atty. Christian Monsod and Environmental Legal Assistance Center to reverse a Malabon Regional Trial Court (RTC) decision that would permit commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer zone reserved for small-scale fisherfolk.

“Sinusuportahan po natin ang petisyong ito na layuning protektahan ang kita at kabuhayan ng maliliit nating mga mangingisda. The government should fully implement existing fishery laws and regulations that would deter illegal fishing activities and the encroachment of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters,” Lee said.

According to the petitioners, “Allowing commercial vessels to operate within municipal waters jeopardizes the livelihoods of thousands of subsistence fishers and accelerates the depletion of already fragile fish stocks.”

It can be recalled that during the House Plenary Deliberation of the 2024 Budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on September 2023, the Bicolano lawmaker sought to address the issue regarding the delineation of municipal and commercial fishing and its boundaries to protect the livelihood of small-scale fishermen.

“It is critical to use science-based reference to address this matter and give utmost consideration to the livelihood of our small-scale fishermen. Hindi makatarungan na nandyan na nga ang mga batas para protektahan sila pero patuloy pa rin silang naaagrabyado at napagkakaitan ng kabuhayan,” Lee said.

AGRI Party-list, which is running for reelection in the 2025 National and Local Elections, also underscored the need for the DA and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other concerned agencies, to strengthen its fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and punish those violators.

“Kailangang paigtingin ang pagbabantay sa overfishing at ilegal na pangingisda dahil ito ang pangunahing dahilan ng pagbaba ng supply ng isda. Malaki ang maiaambag nito hindi lang sa pagkamit ng inaasam nating food security, kundi pati na sa pagpapababa ng presyo ng pagkain sa merkado,” AGRI Party-list said.

“Seryoso dapat ipatupad ang ating mga batas na pumoprotekta sa kabuhayan ng ating maliliit na mangingisda at sampolan ang mga lumalabag at umaabuso, para tuluyang mabawasan ang pangamba ng ating ‘food security soldiers’ na silang pinanggagalingan ng ating makakain, pero sila pa ang walang maipantustos sa pagkain at iba pang pangunahing pangangailangan tulad sa panahon ng pagkakasakit,” it added.