Various fisherfolk, indigenous people, and environmentalists trooped to the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday, June 5, to denounce several Court rulings on plunder and destruction of the environment, and the effects of allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate in municipal waters.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) and the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (KPNE) protested in front of the SC in time for World Environment Day.
According to their social media post, the groups denounce several Court rulings that will “pave the way for further plunder and destruction of the environment.” This includes the Court’s ruling to allow commercial fishing vessels to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal waters and the lifting of the 25-year mining moratorium in Occidental Mindoro.
“Muli kaming nangangalampag sa Korte Suprema para iparating ang aming hindi nagbabagong pagtutol sa panghihimasok ng mga commercial fishing sa municipal waters,” Aaron Escarial from the PAMALAKAYA-Navotas said.
“Sa desisyon ng Korte ay malinaw na hindi ikinonsidera ang kapakanan ng mga maliliit na mangingisda na tuluyang aagawan ng tradisyunal na pangisdaan ng malalaking negosyo at korporasyon,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kalikasan and PAMALAKAYA said in a joint statement that the recent decisions set “a dangerous precedent for environmental protection and expose the deep flaws in the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and the Fisheries Code of 1998.”
With this, the groups argued that around 90% of municipal waters will be open for exploitation by big-fishing firms, if the Court ruling is fully implemented. It would also allow commercial fishers within the municipal waters with a depth beyond seven fathoms (12.8 meters).
Moreover, the PAMALAKAYA’s social media post cited an initial study from a marine scientist, indicating that only 10% of municipal waters are less than seven fathoms deep.
