A militant fishers’ group on Wednesday urged the House of Representatives to expedite the passage of House Bill No. 5606, or the Atin ang Kinse Kilometro Bill, which seeks to restore the exclusive fishing rights of small and subsistence fisherfolk within the 15-kilometer municipal waters.
Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) made the appeal during the deliberation of the House Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources, where HB 5606 was tackled alongside several related measures seeking to protect municipal waters amid a controversial court ruling that favored commercial fishing vessels.
During the hearing, PAMALAKAYA Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo urged lawmakers to support the country’s most vulnerable fishing communities.
‘Nananawagan kami sa mga mambabatas na dinggin ang hinaing ng maliliit na mangingisda para sa eksklusibong karapatan sa munisipal na pangisdaan. Nasa panukalang batas na HB5606 ang lahat ng batayan naming mga mangingisda kung bakit dapat hadlangan ang tuluyang pagpasok ng mga commercial fishing sa municipal waters,’ Arambulo said.
(We are calling on lawmakers to heed the demands of small-scale fishers for exclusive rights to municipal fishing grounds. All the reasons why commercial fishing should be prevented from fully entering municipal waters are already laid out in House Bill 5606.)
What HB 5606 proposes
HB 5606 reasserts that municipal and subsistence fisherfolk, defined as those using vessels of three gross tons or less, shall have exclusive access to fishing grounds within 15 kilometers from the coastline of all coastal cities and municipalities.
The bill lays out the following key provisions:
Explicit ban on all commercial fishing within municipal waters
Section 6 prohibits commercial fishing-defined as large-scale fishing using active or passive gear for trade, business, or profit-within municipal waters. Commercial vessels are defined as those weighing 3.1 gross tons and above.
Section 7 further bans destructive and large-scale commercial methods within municipal waters and bays, including purse seine (pangulong), ring net (basing), trawl fishing (such as bisaya, otob, bulit-bulit), muro-ami, and modified Danish seine (hulbot-hulbot, buli-buli).
Recognition of municipal waters as traditional fishing grounds
Section 4 affirms the historical basis of the 15-kilometer rule, rooted in the archipelagic principle that has long been asserted by fisherfolk to protect nearshore ecosystems from commercial exploitation.
Creation of fisheries advisory bodies
Section 5 mandates local and national advisory bodies, with representation from municipal fisherfolk, people’s organizations, the aquaculture sector, and coastal communities, to guide the science-based and community-based stewardship of municipal waters.
Strict penalties for violators
Section 9 imposes escalating sanctions on commercial fishing vessels caught within municipal waters-including fines equivalent to the value of the catch, confiscation of gear, and, for a third offense, six months’ imprisonment and automatic revocation of the fishing license.
Filed on October 20 by the Makabayan Bloc, through Kabataan Party-list Representative Renee Co, the measure asserts that safeguarding small-scale fishing is essential to the country’s food security and the livelihood of millions of coastal families.
Court ruling opened most municipal waters to commercial vessels
The push comes in the wake of a ruling by the Malabon Regional Trial Court, upheld by the Supreme Court, declaring the preferential rights of municipal fisherfolk ‘unconstitutional,’ effectively allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate in municipal waters deeper than seven fathoms (12.8 meters).
Citing bathymetric data, the bill notes that only about 10 percent of municipal waters nationwide are shallower than seven fathoms, leaving nearly 90 percent vulnerable to commercial entry if the ruling is fully implemented.
The ruling stemmed from a petition filed by Mercidar Fishing Corporation, an operator of large commercial vessels, which sought to invalidate key provisions of the Fisheries Code that restrict commercial fishing within municipal waters.
Fishers’ groups, along with ocean conservation organizations and environmental advocates, have repeatedly warned that the ruling threatens traditional fishing grounds and accelerates resource depletion at a time when the poverty incidence among fisherfolk remains among the highest of any sector.
Pass the bill without delay
PAMALAKAYA said the bill offers the strongest legal safeguard remaining for coastal communities after the court ruling weakened long-standing protections under the Fisheries Code.
The group emphasized that more than three million small fisherfolk rely on municipal waters not only for their livelihoods but also for the local food supply. The entry of large commercial vessels, it warned, would overwhelm the limited catch of municipal fishers and heighten pressure on already stressed marine ecosystems.
HB 5606, it added, would restore clarity and enforcement power to local governments and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which are mandated to manage municipal waters and guard them against illegal commercial intrusion.