The newly appointed director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is facing mounting pressure from fisherfolk groups to defend the preferential rights of small-scale fishers in municipal waters, following a controversial court decision allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal fishing zone.
The progressive fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) issued a challenge to BFAR Director Elizer Salilig, urging him to take a firm stand against the ruling and enforce the long-standing protections for municipal fishers.
“We challenge the new BFAR director to stand up for the rights of small fishers in municipal waters,” Pamalakaya Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo said in a statement.
“With Director Salilig’s more than three decades of experience in the fisheries sector, he should be well aware of the struggles of small fisherfolk, especially when it comes to the monopoly control of big businesses over communal fishing grounds and marine resources,” he went on.
Growing resistance to commercial fishing
The Supreme Court ruling, which effectively allows commercial fishing vessels to operate in municipal waters, has sparked widespread opposition from small fisherfolk groups, who argue that the decision threatens their livelihoods and the sustainability of marine resources.
According to Pamalakaya, the ruling has already “drawn widespread condemnation from various fisherfolk organizations,” citing concerns that small fishers would be edged out of their own fishing grounds by larger, more industrialized operations.
Arambulo emphasized that Salilig must “immediately ensure that the 15-kilometer municipal fishing zone remains off-limits to large commercial fishing vessels.”
On Feb. 4, various municipal fisherfolk organizations convened for the first-ever National Assembly of Municipal Fisherfolk, an event that Pamalakaya described as an “unprecedented gathering” aimed at unifying opposition to the court decision and advocating for stricter enforcement of laws protecting small fishers.
The event underscored the urgency of the issue, as participants called on the government to reinforce existing regulations and uphold the provisions of the Fisheries Code of 1998, which grants small fishers preferential access to municipal waters.
As pressure mounts, Salilig has yet to issue a public statement on how BFAR will respond to the court ruling.
However, fisherfolk organizations have made it clear that they expect decisive action to safeguard their rights and the future of municipal fishing communities.
Salilig was appointed as BFAR director on Jan. 15 and officially assumed office on Jan. 24 after being sworn in by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.