After reaping backlash from the public, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Friday, Dec. 2, ordered a moratorium on its scheduled crackdown of sellers of imported pink salmon, pompano, and other frozen fish products in public markets.
The BFAR, in a press briefing, said that the moratorium will take effect “immediately.”
Earlier, the BFAR said that the Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 195, No. 195, which has been in place for more than 20 years, restricts the sale of fish at wet markets and grocery stores.
According to reports, the FAO No. 195, which only permits the importation of fish products for canning and processing, will restrict the selling of imported pompano and pink salmon in local markets starting Dec. 4.
“he Bureau, without disregarding the policy formulation process as mandated by the Philippine Fisheries Code, shall revisit the regulations and policies governing importation of fresh/chilled /frozen fish and fishery/aquatic products, particularly the Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 195 series of 1999, which authorizes the importation of these products for the purpose of canning and processing, and trade to institutional buyers,” the BFAR said in a statement.
“In the interest of the Filipino consumers and fisheries stakeholders, the Bureau remains committed in carrying out is mandate to ensure food security and food sufficiency, especially that the Christmas season is fast approaching, while strengthening the implementation of fishery laws and other necessary regulations,” it added.
Even Sen. Raffy Tulfo stated in his previlege speech recently that prohibiting small fish vendors from selling salmon and pampano is "anti-poor."
'Go after fish importers'
Meanwhile, progressive fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said that BFAR should go after importers who violated the FAO No. 195 by facilitating frozen fish for direct market sales instead of targeting retailers of imported pompano and pink salmon in local wet markets.
“We reiterate that BFAR should spare small fish retailers who have been forced to sell cheap and imported fishes that continue to flood our country,” said Pamalakaya Spokesperson Ronnel Arambulo.
“Moreover, we assert that if there’s no importation, there would be no imported fish in the local market to begin with," he added.
The group earlier called on the Marcos administration to restrict the import of fish from China, which makes up 78 percent of the nation's imported seafood goods, warning of the high likelihood of "balikbayan" fish. According to PAMALAKAYA, there are several large-scale commercial fishing vessels operating in Chinese government-funded funding in the territorial seas, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.
Pamalakaya pointed out that the importation of 25,000 metric tons of galunggong (round scad), among other pelagic fishes, from November to January 2023 was authorized by the Department of Agriculture (DA), in which President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. serves as the concurrent secretary.
The group has also called on the government to permanently ban the importation of fish.
“Para tiyak na wala nang makakapagpuslit ng mga imported na isda sa pamilihan, dapat permanente nang itigil ang importasyon na kapwa mapaminsala sa kalusugan ng mga consumer at kabuhayan ng mga lokal na mangingisda (To ensure that there will be no imported fish in the market, importation should be permanently banned as it is harmful to the health of the consumers and to the livelihood of local fisherfolk)," Arambulo said.