Fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) has demanded government to end fish importation this year, saying the continuous imports impact local production to the detriment of the fisheries sector.
Over the past five years, the Philippines has imported around 190,000 metric tons of fish from China, Vietnam and Taiwan. This massive importation has caused an adverse impact on local production as imported fish pulled down farm gate prices of the local catch. The group noted that the farm gate price of galunggong (round scad) remains below P120 per kilogram despite an all-time high retail price of P250 per kilo.
“We reassert that importation must end this year and in the coming years. Instead, the government must strengthen local production through subsidy and other livelihood support as well as securing the exclusive rights of Filipino fishers in their fishing grounds and coastal communities,” Pamalakaya national spokesman Ronnel Arambulo said.
The group specifically urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the concurrent agriculture secretary, to repeal importation policies, including the Fisheries Administrative Order 195 and Certificate of Necessity to Import.
“Marcos Jr. is accountable to the continued bankruptcy of our agriculture and fisheries courtesy of his neglect to address the plight of farmers in the midst of successive natural calamities and inflation,” Arambulo said.
Pamalakaya also reiterated its call for a P15,000 production subsidy for each of the almost two million registered fisherfolk nationwide.
Although importation is not the only culprit behind the steady decline of the country’s fisheries sector, government’s decision to continue importing rather than fight for Filipino fishermen has certainly affected their ability to produce and earn a decent livelihood.
With the President himself being the head of the Department of Agriculture, maybe this time the Filipino fishermen can get a break, earn a living and contribute to the food security of this country.*
