SURIGAO CITY — With the continued decline of fish catch throughout Caraga Region, a group of lawmakers is seeking an investigation to determine whether the current fisheries laws are enough to protect the livelihood of fishermen.
In a resolution filed in the House of Representatives, lawmakers belonging to the progressive bloc requested the House Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources to conduct a congressional hearing on the effects of the country’s fisheries code and its amendments, including other related programs and policies, on the small fisherfolk sector in Caraga.
Caraga is the country’s second poorest region, according to the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA), which also identified fisherfolk as the poorest sector in the region.
PSA attributed the alarming poverty levels among fishermen to declining fish catch volume through the years, which showed that 39.2 percent or two out of five fisherfolk only earn less than PHP50 per day.
“Farming and fishing are the main sources of livelihood in the region, as its rich fishing grounds are sources of marine products such as blue marlin, tuna, lapu-lapu (grouper), mollusks, milkfish, crabs, squids, among others,” according to the House Resolution number 1316 submitted to the Congress on September 18, 2017.
“In terms of small open-sea fishing, with the fishermen using pasol or bingwit (fishing rod) for lapu-lapu, dalagang bukid, bulis, tamban, kurob (matambaka) and galungong, the 1989 daily catch of 20 kilograms alarmingly fell to 1 to 2 kilograms at present,” it added.
The resolution was endorsed by Reps. Ariel B. Casilao of Anakpawis Party-list, Carlos Isagani T. Zarate of Bayan Muna, Antonio L. Tinio and France L. Castro of Act Teachers , as well as Rep. Emmi A. De Jesus and Rep. Arlene D. Brosas of Gabriela, among others.
Fernando Hicap, former Anakpawis party-list representative and national chair of Pambasanang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas, an NGO for fisherfolk in the Philippines, blamed the implementation of the Republic Act No. 8550 or otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, and its amendments under the Republic Act 10654 for the “devastation” of the livelihood of fisherfolk in Caraga and across the country.
Hicap said the Fisheries Code and its amendments mainly affect small fishermen with its provision on excessive taxes and fees, strict restrictions and fishing regulations attacks fisherfolk.
“The strict implementation of these laws are imposed by Local Government Units on small fishermen while large commercial fishing vessels and fleets are freely encroaching the 15-kilometer municipal fishing waters.
“The poor sector also bear the burden of high costs of registration and licensing their boats and fishing gears, with non- compliances dreads them with costly fines and penalties like confiscation of fishing gears and worse, imprisonment,” Hicap said.
Rogelio de Asis, leader of Pamalakaya-Caraga, also lamented that declared marine protected areas intended for spawning and reproduction of marine species “often lead to privatization and conversion, eventually being classified as part of an eco-tourism zone.”
“BFAR’s Bantay Dagat or sea patrol is ineffective to prevent the entry of large-scale commercial fishing fleets within the 15-kilometer municipal fishing waters that use destructive and exploitative fishing gears like hulbot-hulbot or Danish Seine,” he said.
The progressive lawmakers said there was a need to review the current fisheries laws so that Congress can properly act to help small fisherfolk in Caraga and around the country. (Roel N. Catoto/PNA)
