The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged local government units (LGUs) to improve their management of municipal waters and even assured them of its support in protecting municipal waters and local aquatic resources in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), particularly in strengthening law enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said based on the results of the Department’s Fisheries Compliance Audit (FishCA), which monitors the LGUs’ enforcement of and compliance with Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, LGUs need to continuously improve their management of municipal waters. He said for instance, some of the DILG’s partner non-government organizations (NGOs) have reported a high incidence of possible encroachments of commercial fishing vessels in municipal waters through the use of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) technology.

DILG supports LGUs in protecting municipal waters in WPS: Año. (2021, September 6). SunStar Pampanga, p. 5.