In a move to support small-scale fishers, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez introduced House Bill 11383 on February 3, 2025. The bill aims to grant exclusive fishing rights to small fishers within municipal waters, extending 15 kilometers from the shoreline of coastal local government units. This legislative proposal seeks to amend Section 17 of the Fisheries Code of 1998, replacing the term ‘preference’ with ‘exclusive rights’ for duly registered fisherfolk organizations and cooperatives.
Rodriguez’s initiative comes in response to a Supreme Court decision upholding a ruling by the Malabon City Regional Trial Court, which declared certain sections of the Fisheries Code unconstitutional. The court’s decision effectively allows large commercial fishing operations to access municipal waters, potentially harming small fishers and subsistence fishermen. Rodriguez argues that this ruling undermines the constitutional provision for social justice, which reserves municipal waters for small-scale fishers, and the principle of local autonomy established by the Local Government Code of 1991.
The lawmaker emphasized that Section 7 of Article XIII in the constitution specifically protects the rights of subsistence fisherfolk to preferentially use local marine and fishing resources. He warned that allowing commercial fishing in municipal waters could lead to the collapse of fish stocks, threatening the livelihoods of 2.3 million fisherfolk, half of whom rely on capture fisheries. Rodriguez stressed that municipal fishing zones are vital for the survival of millions who depend on these waters, serving as sanctuaries for artisanal fishers unable to compete with large-scale fishing operations.