LUCENA CITY – The provincial lawmakers in Quezon are set to review the existing fishing ordinances in the province to determine if there is a need for amendments due to the growing number of commercial fishing vessels operating in their waters.
During the Sangguniang Panlalawigan's regular session on Monday, Provincial Councilor Angelo Eduarte, the president of the Philippine Councilors' League in Quezon, said in his privilege speech that small fisher folks in the towns surrounding the Inner Lamon Bay in the fourth district have long-standing concerns.
The municipal councils of Alabat. Quezon and Perez (Al-Que-Rez), he said, conducted a joint session on Feb. 8 to discuss measures on how to implement fishery laws more effectively after small fishermen in the three towns complained about the growing number of huge fishing vessels operating in their municipal waters.
Eduarte noted that on Feb. 9, Quezon Fourth District Representative Mike Tan facilitated the Balikatan Congress-National Government Agency Local Government Unit Leadership Dialogue and Tripartite Cooperation to forge a harmonious working relationship among national and local government units.
At the said activity, the fishermen relayed to him and Tan a loophole in the municipal fishing ordinance that the Inner Lamon Bay municipalities adopted, prohibiting big fishing vessels inside the 15-kilometer distance from the shoreline of the towns.
“That’s the big loophole. For example, between Quezon and Marinduque, it’s just about 28-kilometer distance. The tendency is for a fishing vessel to encroach on municipal waters beyond their own towns,” Eduarte said.
When this happens, the big fishing vessels catch all the fish, depriving the small fisher folks.
“We will revisit and review all the existing fishing ordinance and if need be, we will modify them to adapt to the present situation of the fisher folks,” Eduarte added.
One of the modified measures he is looking at is for all fishing boats to be registered with other municipalities for the appropriate taxes and obligations every time they will fish in other towns.
The councilor also said he will facilitate on Friday the conduct a committee hearing and invite all the stakeholders including the fisherfolk, members of the Philippine Maritime Police and the local Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. (PNA)
