A nationwide fishing federation has urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to “brush off baseless reports” that the European Commission (EC) is set to issue a “Red Card” against the Philippines for illegal fishing. In a letter dated June 5, 2023, the Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. (APFFI) told Marcos, who also sits as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), that there is no reason why the country should not keep its “Green Card” status from the EC given its “relentless efforts to fight illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing (IUU).” “There should be no basis for the recent pronouncements that there is a danger the EC issuing a ‘Red Card’ to the Philippines as it would be against the fundamental principles of substantive and procedural due process if EC were to immediately issue a ‘Red Card’ where the Philippines’ status is ‘Green’ without factual and legal basis,” the APFFI stated. It maintained that under the EC’s carding system, a “red-carded” country is categorized “as uncooperative in the international fight against IUU and is prevented from exporting its fishery products to the European Union.” As such, prior to issuing a red card, the EC must first issue a “yellow card,” indicating that the warned country is at risk of being identified as “non-cooperating”. The yellow card also starts a formal dialogue in which the EC and the concerned country work together to solve all issues of concern. “In case the cause of action for the EC's ‘Red Card’ is due to the permanent injunction issued by the RTC, which issue is now pending before the Supreme Court, does the EC find itself above and beyond the judicial processes of country as enshrined in our Constitution?” the group’s statement noted. The federation, composed of various commercial fishing associations from different parts of the country, includes the Inter-Island and Deep Sea Fishing Association, Quezon-Marinduque Fishing Boat Operators and Fishermen’s Association, United Bicol Fishing Federation, Bisayas Alliance of Fisherfolk and Operators Reform Inc., Zamboanga-based SOPHIL Fishing Association Inc., and One Visayas Fish Network, Inc.