The Negros Occidental provincial government was the second in Western Visayas to express concern over the December 19, 2024 decision of the Supreme Court that removed the 15-kilometer municipal water demarcation that had prioritized municipal fisherfolk and regulated commercial fishing operations within those waters.
Negros Occ. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson joined officials and fisher groups who have expressed dismay over the SC ruling, saying that the decision threatened livelihoods, marine biodiversity, and decades of efforts in sustainable fisheries management.
The Iloilo provincial government, through provincial agriculturist Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, revealed that it was compiling position papers from 19 coastal municipalities in the province, fisher groups, and other stakeholders, to formally oppose the SC decision. He warned that the ruling could devastate local fishing communities and emphasized the need for a collective stand against it.
Lacson stressed the need to protect the rights of municipal fisherfolk by advocating for their continued preferential access to the 15-km municipal waters, which he said are vital for the livelihoods of more than 45,000 marginalized fishing communities. There are 472 fisherfolk associations in the 25 coastal cities and municipalities of Negros Occ., covering 187 barangays.
Since the establishment of Integrated Coastal Resource Management Programs, Lacson said they have witnessed firsthand the resilience of fisherfolk in the face of environmental and socioeconomic challenges. However, small scale fishers remain among the most vulnerable sectors in the country, facing threats such as climate change, illegal fishing, and limited economic opportunities.
The SC decision that would allow commercial fishing operations within municipal waters is certainly shocking and disturbing, and while we cannot help but be hopeful that the national government can remedy that wrong, the voices opposing it, coming from our local officials and civil society, will certainly be helpful.
Hopefully those who can do something about this are already on the case.*
