BACOLOD City – Leaders of various small fisher formations from throughout Negros Occidental have assailed a proposed bill in the House of Representatives which, according to them, is basically anti-poor, anti-environment, and anti-sustainable development.
The proposed measure, House Bill (HB) No. 7853 authored by Cong. Pablo John Garcia of the 3rd District of Cebu province, aims to amend the Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act 8550) particularly Section 18 to expand the possible area of operations of small and medium commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters.
Specifically, the said bill proposes to allow the entry of commercial fishers into the 10.1 km – 15 km zone as defined by the Code, even without the enactment of a local ordinance allowing such entry.
Commercial fishing refers to use of fishing vessels weighing three gross tons or above, or those using active gears. Reportedly, HB 7853 is due for an initial hearing in the House.
Small fisher leaders, who belong to partner organizations of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM-Negros), said HB 7853 threatens to undercut and erode the gains made in decades of their exacting struggles for sustainable fisheries and better coastal resource management.
Roy Santiago, a fisher leader in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, said the bill if passed into law will undermine the power and capacity of the local government units (LGUs) and further disempower small fishers in affected localities in managing their already depleted coastal and marine resources. Surely, it will lead to the further destruction of the coastal environment, he added.
Judy Gepulle, chairperson of the Federation of Small Fisherfolk Associations of Hinigaran (FESFAH), said HB 7853 seeks to give automatic access and entry to commercial fishers within the municipal waters even without the need for a local ordinance on such matter. It will legalize illegal fishing locally, she averred.
Tay Abid Villacasten, chair of the newly-formed North Negros Small Fishers Council (NNSFC), said HB 7853 is a form of social injustice, giving more privilege to the powerful while threatening the livelihoods of the small and marginal fishers who are already suffering from deprivation wrought by the pandemic. The small fishers must unite and strongly oppose this unjust measure, he urged.
Tay Edwin Espinosa, convenor of the Alyansa sg Magagmay nga Mananagat sg Bacolod (AMMBA), said the proposal will lead to more and unabated intrusion by commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters, thus, resulting in more overfishing, more fish stock and biodiversity loss and therefore, more hunger and poverty for the small fishers and coastal communities.
Tony Castillo, chair of the Negros Small Fishers Alliance (NOSFA) and former Provincial Fisherfolk Representative called on the coastal LGUs and local Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils (FARMCs), to forge unity and together struggle in opposing and in preventing the passage of HB 7853./PN
