Small Fishers Voice Concerns Ahead of Marcos' SONA, Eyeing Commercial Fishing and US Military Activities

MANILA, Philippines — Small-scale fishers from several provinces brought their grievances to the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday, hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona), raising concerns over commercial fishing in municipal waters, reclamation projects and increased US military activity in fishing grounds. The fisherfolk, who held their protest action dubbed as the “State of the Fishers’ Address,” said they were calling for the Marcos administration to address their plight. “We are calling on the President to listen to our voices and to take immediate action to address the issues that are seriously affecting our livelihood,” said a fisherfolk leader who asked not to be named. They cited the continued encroachment of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters, which they said has led to the depletion of fish stocks and has severely impacted their catch. “These commercial fishing boats are using destructive fishing methods and are taking away all the fish, leaving nothing for us small-scale fishermen,” another fisherfolk said. Reclamation projects along the coast were also a major concern, as they threaten to destroy marine habitats and affect the breeding grounds of fish. “Our fishing grounds are being destroyed by these reclamation projects. We are losing our livelihood because our environment is being degraded,” they lamented. The fisherfolk also expressed their concern over the increased presence of US military activities in the West Philippine Sea, which they said could disrupt their fishing operations and pose a safety risk. “We are worried that these military activities will affect our fishing. We are not a military nation, we are a fishing nation,” one of them said. They are hoping that President Marcos will address their concerns in his Sona and outline concrete steps to protect their livelihood and the marine environment.