Reelectionist Senator Francis Tolentino is pushing for amendments to the Philippine Fisheries Code (RA 8550) to restore protection for marginal fisherfolk, including the blue crab producers of Negros Occidental, in the country's municipal waters.

He made the remark in response to a question from the media about the implications of a recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling declaring as unconstitutional the Fisheries Code’s preferential access for municipal fishers within the 15-kilometer municipal water zone.

“So, alam ko po ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) filed a motion for reconsideration, at hinihintay lang natin yung desisyon ng Supreme Court nang sa ganun ay maalis na ulit yung malalaking vessels,” said Tolentino while on the campaign trail with the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate in Bacolod, Negros Occidental.

(I know that BFAR has filed a motion for reconsideration, and we're waiting for the Supreme Court to issue a ruling that would hopefully remove the access of big vessels to municipal waters.)

“But this does not prevent Congress, including the Senate, from enacting a law clearly specifying that this is municipal waters, and big trawlers and commercial vessels can no longer enter,” asserted the senator, who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones.

He continued: “Hintayin natin ang SC ruling. Kung mababago namin yung batas, makakatulong tayo doon sa blue crab producers ng EB Magalona.”

(Let’s wait for the SC’s ruling. If we amend the law, we can help the plight of blue crab producers of EB Magalona.)

Citing data from BFAR and the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), reports say that the SC decision would have a disastrous impact on blue crab production along Guimaras Strait and the Visayan Sea, of which 55 percent to 65 percent is sourced from Negros Occidental.