ILOILO CITY – The provincial government of Iloilo has joined the mounting opposition against the Supreme Court ruling that opened the 15-kilometer boundary of municipal waters to large-scale commercial fishing.
FISHING boats off the coast of Concepcion, a town in northern Iloilo province. (Tara Yap)
The province of Negros Occidental had earlier opposed the decision.
Acting on a directive from Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr., the Iloilo Provincial Legal Office has filed a motion on behalf of the provincial government to add supplemental documents that will support the call of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The SC ruling last December declared unconstitutional provisions of the Fisheries Code that allowed local government units (LGUs) of coastal towns or cities to have jurisdiction over the 15-kilometer municipal waters and entry of commercial fishing.
“Our stand is that the provision is constitutional,” said Dennis Ventilacion, provincial legal officer.
Ventilacion said that their move supplements the motion for reconsideration originally filed by BFAR.
Provincial Administrator Raul Banias considered the ruling as “social injustice” to fishermen, the fishing communities, and the autonomy of LGUs.
As former mayor of the coastal town of Concepcion, Banias said the ruling will have adverse impacts on the livelihood of fishing communities and destroy marine biodiversity.