Bacolod City – The vehement opposition to commercial fishing vessels being allowed to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal waters continues to snowball, as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental joined the bandwagon, expressing grave concern on the ruling of Supreme Court allowing such activities.
In a resolution unanimously approved during its regular session recently, the Negros Occidental provincial council also called for an urgent action to safeguard the rights of municipal fishers and protection of fisheries and marine resources.
The resolution said that the SC ruling undermines the constitutional mandate of local governments to exercise jurisdiction over their resources and ensure the welfare of their constituents.
“The unregulated commercial fishing in municipal waters will deplete fish stocks, degrade marine ecosystems, and undermine local conservation efforts that have been successfully implemented by LGUs and fisherfolk organizations,” it added.
The SC ruling, according to Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, threatens the livelihood of more than 45,000 municipal fisherfolk, belonging to 472 associations in 25 coastal towns of Negros Occidental, including the P2 billion blue crab industry of the province.
The high court’s First Division, in a resolution dated August 19, 2024, upheld a Malabon Regional Trial Court (RTC) decision declaring the Fisheries Code’s preferential access provisions unconstitutional.
The Malabon RTC had rendered a ruling in the suit filed by private Navotas-based commercial fishing firm, Mercidar Fishing Corp., which filed a petition for declaratory relief on October 25, 2023.
Among the portions of the Fisheries Code invalidated by the Malabon court was Sec. 16, on the jurisdiction of the municipal government to regulate commercial fishing in municipal waters of up to 15 km. from the shoreline.
The Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Office of the Solicitor General, has asked the SC to overturn a decision allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate in municipal waters meant for fisherfolk.
While it is up to the national government to represent the fisherfolks against commercial fishing within the 15 kilometer municipal waters, Lacson said he also wants to “make sure that our position will also be heard by the Supreme Court.”
“What we can do is to let the agencies know that we are concerned about the recent Supreme Court ruling”, Lacson said, referring to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Departments of Agriculture and Justice. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds)