MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Kiko Pangilinan raised concern over the steady decline of catches for small-time fisherfolk after a Supreme Court (SC) ruling that allowed commercial fishing companies to fish in municipal waters. Prior to the SC ruling, there was a 15-kilometer exclusive zone in municipal waters just for small-scale fisherfolk. “Malaki ang increase ng commercial fishing habang bagsak naman ang production ng inland municipal and marine municipal fisheries. (There has been a large increase in commercial fishing while there is a decline in the production of inland municipal and marine municipal fisheries. However, commercial fisheries have increased their catch from 822,427.47 metric tons in 2023 up to 849,498.89 metric tons in 2025.

Source: Philippine Star February 19, 2026 03:35 UTC