Fishing boats have sat idle since fuel price spikesMembers of fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA in Cavite docked their fishing boats and temporarily suspended their fishing trips for a day to hold a “tigil-palaot” protest against the government’s “inadequate response” to the oil price shock, March 30, 2026. PAMALAKAYA chairperson Fernando Hicap said in a March 18 statement that production costs have jumped 60% per fishing trip. "Our fishing boats are docked for almost a month now because we can no longer afford the skyrocketing price of diesel. Some fisherfolk have temporarily left fishing and shifted to odd jobs including construction work," Richard Catenza, PAMALAKAYA-Cavite president, said in the statement. Before the crisis, PAMALAKAYA said a small fisher working Manila Bay spent about P560 on diesel per trip.

Source: Philippine Star March 30, 2026 15:01 UTC