• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
A resolution expressing full support for all legal initiatives and efforts in seeking reconsideration of the Supreme Court Resolution removing local government jurisdiction over municipal waters and allowing unimpeded commercial fishing, was unanimously approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod yesterday.
The resolution authored by Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson also implored the Supreme Court to overturn the Resolution, and called for urgent action to safeguard the rights of municipal fisherfolk and protect the city fisheries and marine resources.
Supreme Court Resolution dated Aug, 19, 2024 in the case entitled “Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, represented by its national director Atty. Demosthenes Escoto, and Department of Agriculture, represented by its Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Drusila Esther Bayate, petitioners, vs. Mercidar Fishing Corporation, and its authorized representative and director Rolando Ligon, Jr., respondents, declared Sections 16 and 18 of Republic Act 8550, as amended, unconstitutional, thereby effectively removing the jurisdiction of local government units (LGUs) over municipal waters and allowing unimpeded commercial fishing within areas previously reserved for municipal folks, it said.
The resolution said the unregulated commercial fishing in municipal waters may result in overfishing, destruction of marine habitat, and depletion of fish stocks, threatening the livelihood of municipal fisherfolk, and worsening poverty in coastal communities.
Various organizations and LGUs have filed petitions and pursued legal remedies seeking the reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s decision, with the aim of restoring the LGUs jurisdiction over municipal waters and upholding policies that ensure sustainable fisheries management and the protection of municipal fisherfolk, it said.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod firmly upholds the principle of local autonomy in fisheries governance and recognizes the critical role of LGUs in protecting municipal waters; thus, it respectfully asserts that reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s ruling in imperative to safeguard the rights of municipal fisherfolk and ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems, the resolution said.
The resolution resolved further to implore the Supreme Court to reconsider and overturn its ruling in light of the constitutional provisions on local autonomy, environmental protection, and social justice , as well as the State’s duty to protect municipal fisherfolk and ensure the sustainable use of marine resources.
It also called for urgent action from the Office of the President, Congress, the Department of Agriculture- Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), and other concerned agencies to safeguard the rights of municipal fisherfolk and to protect our fisheries and marine resources.*
