• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Diocese of Bacolod said May 31 that the Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishing in municipal waters “would jeopardize local livelihoods and risk irreversible harm to marine ecosystems”, and urged for its reexamination.
“If left unchallenged, this court decision would allow large commercial fishing vessels to encroach on the waters reserved for municipal fishers under the Philippine law,” Bishop Patricio Buzon said in a pastoral statement posted May 31 on its Adsum Diocese of Bacolod FB page.
“Therefore, we appeal to our lawmakers, local government officials, and the judiciary to reexamine this policy and engage directly with the communities most affected,” he added.
Buzon also called on parishes and chaplaincies, especially along coastal areas, to organize campaigns and conduct information drives “so that our communities may understand the impact of these rulings on our fisherfolk and marine ecosystems.”
He said the SC decision allowing commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer municipal fishing zone “strikes at the heart of our marginalized coastal communities, especially in Negros Occidental, where more than 45,000 small-scale fishers across 25 coastal cities and municipalities depend on these waters for their livelihood.”
“Our small-scale fisherfolk are not merely workers of the sea but they too play a vital role in food security and sustainable development, contributing over 90 percent of the world’s fish catch,” the statement said, citing Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations data.
To endanger their access to the seas is to endanger their lives and future, it added.
Bacolod City and Negros Occidental officials also earlier asked the SC to reconsider its December 2024 ruling.
The Bacolod SP, in a resolution, called for urgent action to safeguard the rights of municipal fisherfolk and protect fisheries and marine resources.
It said the “unregulated commercial fishing in municipal waters may result in overfishing, destruction of marine habitats, and depletion of fish stocks, threatening the livelihood of municipal fisherfolk and worsening poverty in coastal communities.”
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental also passed a unanimous resolution expressing grave concern over the SC ruling, adding it 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.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson also earlier said the SC decision threatens the livelihood of more than 45,000 marginalized fishing communities belonging to 472 associations in coastal areas of Negros Occidental, including the P2-billion blue crabs’ industry of the province. | CGC
