Quezon City — On National Fisherfolks Day, fisherfolk alliances, civil society organizations, and coastal communities reasserted their call for the government to uphold climate justice and prioritize people and planet over profit by stopping commercial encroachment in municipal waters.
“Small-scale fishermen are losing their livelihoods, and there is a risk that fish stocks along the coast will be depleted due to large-scale commercial fishing that will certainly destroy and deplete marine life in waters vital to small scale fishers,” said Pablo Rosales, chairperson of Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Mangingisda – PANGISDA-Pilipinas, an alliance of artisanal and small-scale, municipal fisher organizations.
Over 500 fisherfolk from regions such as Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Navotas, Bataan, and Zambales gathered in a march on Friday calling on the government to stop reclamation projects and large-scale commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer municipal waters—a zone vital to local communities and the environment. Coastal communities across the country joined the call.
“The 15-kilometer municipal waters are not just lines on a map—they’re lifelines for small fishers in my community,” said Frank Melgar Marba, a community leader and climate survivor from Dinagat Islands. “As someone living in one of the most climate-impacted areas in the country, I urge the government to keep commercial fishers out. Protecting these waters is protecting lives.”
“Our fisheries production has not been getting any better the past years,” said Atty. Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio, Oceana Acting Vice President, in a statement addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “Our laws are in place to conserve our marine biodiversity and help our fisheries recover from imminent collapse. We need officials committed to full law enforcement and to helping fisherfolk rise from poverty.”
Greenpeace Philippines, which joined the mobilization, said that protecting municipal waters is not only vital for the livelihoods of fishers and coastal communities and the nation’s food security. With the escalating climate crisis, the imperative to secure coastal waters from overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction is crucial.
“At a time when we need to be protecting marine habitats and securing livelihoods of communities from the threats of climate change, moves to open up municipal waters to commercial fishing are completely insane,” said Virginia Benosa-Llorin, Greenpeace Philippines Senior Climate Justice Campaigner. “Scientists have already warned that the climate crisis will significantly damage vital marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove areas. Commercial fishing and reclamation will most certainly hasten the destruction of what we should be protecting. This is a deplorable move, one that solely benefits large fishing corporations while entrenching fishers and coastal communities in poverty, and risking the country’s food security.”
Friday’s march to commemorate National Farmers and Fisherfolks Month, underscores the urgent need to stop destructive projects, uphold laws protecting small-scale fishers, and ensure climate justice for those most affected. Fishers and coastal communities are standing up for their rights. The government must listen to these communities and support them. “The message is clear: protect our coastal waters, defend our fisherfolk, and take climate action before it’s too late,” said Llorin.
Meanwhile, According to Antonio Abletes, climate advocate from a coastal community in Salcedo, Eastern Samar, the government must choose if it is to represent large corporations, or the true wellbeing of the people. “We truly believe that fisherfolk represent the people,” Abletes said. “They are believers and fighters for better futures for their families. Let us protect the rights of the Filipino fisherfolk.”
For requests for interviews and other information, please contact:
James Relativo, Communications Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines
[email protected] | +63919 069 3424 (Viber & WhatsApp)
