The provincial government’s stance against a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal water zone has gained support from a maritime law expert, further bolstering the position of local fisherfolk and coastal local government units (LGUs). Atty. Jay L. Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, delivered a crucial lecture on February 10 at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) at the UP Visayas – Miag-ao Campus, adding legal weight to the ongoing opposition. In his presentation, Batongbacal scrutinized the implications of the ruling, which declared parts of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 unconstitutional and allowed commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer municipal water zone.

Iloilo opposition to SC ruling on commercial fishing gains strength with expert backing. (2025, February 27). Panay News, pp. 1, 2.