ISUFST GOES TO BOMBO: ISUFST CFAS Dean Dr. Rolindo Demo-os and Prof. Rother Gaudiel share their perspectives on ISUFST’s stance against the recent SC ruling permitting commercial fishers in municipal waters during their interview with Bombo Radyo’s Donnie Degala this morning, February 3. A crucial conversation for our coastal communities!
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ISUFST OPPOSES SC RULING ON COMMERCIAL FISHERS IN MUNICIPAL WATERS
The Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) has joined several institutions, communities, NGOs, and Local Government Units (LGUs) that oppose the Supreme Court’s recent ruling allowing commercial fishers in municipal waters. The school believes this decision undermines protections vital to small-scale fishers.
As the country’s first and only fisheries university, ISUFST calls for the continued safeguarding of municipal waters, essential to tens of thousands of community fishers’ environmental sustainability and livelihood. It its position paper published last Friday, January 31, 2025, it emphasizes the importance of protecting municipal waters for small fishers who rely on these resources for food and income. The university warns that 64% of coastal fisheries are already overfished, and commercial fishing could further harm small fishers and marine ecosystems.
The Fourth District of Iloilo-based university also worries about commercial fishing’s damage to coral reefs and seagrass beds, which support marine life and local economies. These practices often involve illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing, environmental damage, and threats to small fishers’ resources.
ISUFST underscores that the 1987 Philippine Constitution grants preferential access to communal marine resources for subsistence fishers, a right the ruling could undermine. “Among society’s most vulnerable, small-scale fishers rely on exclusive access to municipal waters for survival; allowing commercial vessels here would undermine social justice and disregard their vital dependence on these resources.,” the university added.
The statement also references several scientific studies, urging the government to uphold the ban on commercial fishing in municipal waters. Research shows that commercial fishing only worsens overfishing and further depletes marine life. The university emphasizes the importance of taking a cautious approach to protect our fisheries, ensuring that future generations can still rely on the sea for their livelihood and food.
Looking ahead, ISUFST, where many of its students are children of small-scale fishers who depend on municipal waters for their livelihood, calls for immediate action to protect municipal waters for today and future generations. “We urge the government [and all stakeholders] to honor its commitment to environmental protection and social justice—one of the guiding principles of ISUFST—by upholding this crucial policy,” ISUFST’s statement concluded. (Herman Lagon/PAMMCO)
