Fisherfolk groups urge passage of Verde Island Passage protection bill ahead of SONA

Fisherfolk organizations and environmental groups on Monday called on Congress to prioritize the passage of the proposed Verde Island Passage Protected Seascape (VIPPS) Bill, urging the government to immediately provide full compensation and justice to communities affected by the 2023 MT Princess Empress oil spill. The groups stated that both measures are crucial for protecting marine biodiversity, securing coastal livelihoods, and ensuring the country’s food security. The appeal was made in the coalition’s “State of the Ocean and Philippine Fisheries Address 2026,” issued ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA). The statement was signed by dozens of small-scale fisherfolk organizations, environmental advocates, scientists, faith-based groups, and civil society organizations from across the country. The coalition said the proposed VIPPS Bill would provide stronger legal protection for the Verde Island Passage, recognized as one of the world’s richest centers of marine biodiversity, from pollution and environmentally destructive projects, including fossil fuel developments. The groups also renewed their call for the government to expedite compensation and justice for fishing communities in Oriental Mindoro and neighboring provinces that continue to suffer the economic and environmental impacts of the MT Princess Empress oil spill more than three years after the maritime disaster. Beyond these two priority demands, the coalition warned that the country’s fisheries sector continues to face declining fish catches, rising fuel and production costs, worsening climate change impacts, marine pollution, destructive development projects, and the continued intrusion of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters. “The fisheries crisis is not only a problem of fisherfolk. It is an issue of national food security,” the coalition said in Filipino, noting that lower fish production has contributed to higher food prices, while fisherfolk remain among the country’s poorest sectors. The groups argued that while the Marcos administration has undertaken some initiatives, these remain inadequate and fail to address the root causes of the fisheries crisis. They urged President Marcos Jr., Congress, the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and local governments to adopt long-term reforms that would strengthen fisheries management and protect marine ecosystems. Among the proposed measures were the passage of House Bill No. 5606, or the “Atin ang Kinse Bill,” which seeks to reinforce the exclusive rights of municipal fisherfolk over the country’s 15-kilometer municipal waters; to expand fuel subsidies and production support for small-scale fishers; to strongly enforce regulations against illegal commercial fishing; and push greater investments in climate adaptation for coastal communities. They also want the government to complete the delineation of municipal waters nationwide; improve transparency in fisheries programs; and promote stronger participation of fisherfolk in local fisheries governance. The statement was signed by nearly 30 organizations representing fishing communities from Cavite, Batangas, Zambales, Quezon, Rizal, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Palawan, Cebu, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Sarangani, Zamboanga Sibugay, and other coastal provinces. The coalition said protecting the country’s oceans is inseparable from protecting the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos who depend on fishing and ensuring affordable, nutritious food for future generations. “There can be no abundant fisheries without healthy oceans, and no genuine food security without fisherfolk who have dignity, rights, and adequate support,” the groups said.