Action must be taken immediately to save our municipal fishers. This is because the Supreme Court First Division has upheld a Malabon Regional Trial Court decision allowing commercial fishing inside the 15-kilometer municipal fishing zone. There are reports that not enough time was given to hear the side of the municipal fishers. They number 2.3 million and constitute the poorest sector in our nation. There is still time to review this decision before it becomes final and executory. This decision should be reversed in favor of social justice and the municipal fishers. This is consistent with the position of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) published last Feb. 1.

Ordoñez, E. M. (2025, February 7). Save the municipal fishers. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. B3.