Fisherfolk Call on Government to Enforce Poaching Laws and Stabilize Prices

Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), a small association of fishermen, has urged the government to enforce poaching laws in an effort to prevent Philippine fisheries from being illegally exploited by foreign fishermen of neighboring countries.

“Foreign fishermen are taking all our fish, especially in areas like the West Philippine Sea. It is an insult that we have to import fish from abroad when it comes from our own waters,” explained Bobby Roldan, PAMALAKAYA Vice Chair for Luzon. He noted that imports coming from China and Vietnam, especially galunggong, likely come from the country’s own waters in the West Philippine Sea as well as around Bataan, Mindoro, and Palawan.

“We are most likely importing balikbayan (returnee) fish. We are fully aware that the countries where we are going to import fish from are the same countries that frequent our territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea. This is an insult to us as an archipelagic country as we might be importing fish that came from our very own fishing grounds.”

Additionally, the group also called for price controls as fish prices continue to rise. “At ₱250 per kilogram retail price, galunggong is no longer a ‘poor man’s fish.’ This unreasonable pricing is mainly caused by government’s failure to regulate private fish traders who secure their profits by jacking up the wholesale prices and eventually push up retail prices to unaffordable levels,” said PAMALAKAYA Chairman Fernando L. Hicap.

“The unregulated middleman system in the fish trade results in manipulation of farmgate and market prices which are detrimental to small fishers and ordinary consumers.” Hicap further proposed that the Department of Agriculture should set a standard retail price and engage directly with fisherfolk rather than rely on imports.

“Instead of imports, which are harmful to the fishing industry, the government should intervene by imposing a price ceiling on fish that (is) reasonable and beneficial to local producers, retailers, and consumers. This effort would preempt greedy wholesalers and traders from manipulating the price of galunggong and other fishery products that serve as primary protein sources for many Filipinos,” added Hicap.

Source: BusinessWorld