The livelihood of over two million registered fisherfolks is in peril after the Department of Agriculture (DA) issued a Certificate of Necessity to Import (CNI) 60,000 metric tons (MT) of small pelagic fish to fill in a perceived supply shortfall. At a virtual press conference on Monday, Dennis Calvan, NGO Representative of the Pangingisda Natin Gawing Tama Network, said a Congressional hearing should be scheduled to properly address the issue. Citing data on the ground, Calvan said the country still has 45,651 MT of unsold imported fish from the previous quarter.

Romero, M. (2022, January 25). Fisherfolks' livelihood in peril. Daily Tribune, p. A3.