Environmental group Oceana, together with fisherfolk and civil society groups, on Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme Court to intervene in the case against a commercial fisher, challenging the constitutionality of preferential access granted to municipal fisherfolk within the 15-kilometer municipal waters. In a resolution dated Aug. 19, 2024, Oceana said that the Supreme Court’s First Division ruled in favor of Mercidar Fishing Corp., affirming a lower court’s decision that provisions of the Fisheries Code — specifically those imposing a 15-km municipal water boundary prioritizing municipal fisherfolk and regulating commercial fishing activities — were unconstitutional.

Bautista, J., & Aglibot, J. R. (2025, January 3). Groups to SC: Protect rights of small fishers. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A7.