Fishing industry: Sending an SOS

Undeniably, in this country, political news will always be the most dominant of all. No matter how significant others will be, chances are these are always set aside. For instance, as the impeachment raps against the President and Vice President were filed, a potentially debilitating report from an international group, Oceana, that our “fisheries sector is in near collapse as 45 million kilos are lost annually” never even get a fragment of one’s time for a serious discussion.

So serious, Oceana estimated in its new study that the Philippine fisheries sector is in freefall as the country recorded an almost 600,000-metric-ton decline in its national output from 2010 until 2023.” According to Oceana Vice President Von Hernandez, “this is a national food security emergency.” Also, knowing fully well that there are hundreds of thousands of fishing families in dire poverty, their livelihoods are under threat.  

Unlike political allegations, this is real and factual. Notably, the Oceana-commissioned study was “conducted by scientists from the University of the Philippines-Visayas.” In its report, “one of the key findings was that 88% of fish stocks nationwide are already overfished and depleted.” Consequently, nationwide “fish catch fell to 1.9 million MT in 2023 from 2.6 million MT in 2010.” 

Worse, the report also singled out the “encroachment by commercial fishing vessels in municipal waters.” Reportedly, “it covered almost 25 hectares of water from 2017 to 2024 across 270,165 night lights.” Simply put this report dealt largely on overfishing.

So that, appropriately, Oceana’s top-priority demand is for the “president to order an immediate, transparent investigation into what it called enforcement failures by key agencies and to halt any attempt to weaken the Fisheries Code and Republic Act 10654.” The question is, will our implementors religiously implement this law? 

To answer the aforementioned question, we need to revisit what happened last year in North Bais Bay. A bay saddled between Bais City and the Municipality of Manjuyod. It was not overfishing. It was about pollution. 

Agreeably, overfishing’s threat is more disastrous than pollution. However, pollution’s impact should not be trivialized. A typical example of this kind of disaster happened last year. It was caused by the release of the effluents of an ethanol plant owned by the Universal Robina Corporation (URC). 

Used to carry the name United Planters Sugar Milling Company (UPSUMCO), it was built in the early 70s. A few months later, there was a fishkill. It was primarily due to the first release of the sugar mill’s effluents. Probably, however, the owners then were so conscientious and prevented it from happening again as fishing activities continued. So, fisher folks then learned to live with it.

Then URC acquired UPSUMCO in 1988 and renamed it Universal Robina Sugar Milling Corporation (URSUMCO). For two decades, it seemed that the peace and productive co-existence enjoyed then with UPSUMCO was meant to last. Then, in November, 2014, URC inaugurated its ethanol plant at Barangay Tamisu, Bais City.  Since its inception, the residents within the three-kilometer radius had been complaining of the foul smell coming from the ethanol plant and the dark effluents it releases to North Bais Bay. 

Then, on the May 29, 2025, a massive release of the effluents happened. Informally, the fisherfolks (the most affected) were advised that the settling pond was compromised. Patience wearing thin, the members of KAGAMATA (Kapunongan sa Gagmay nga Mananagat sa Tangculogan) filed a complaint before the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on July 11, 2025. 

Just as they thought they’ve already seen the worst, a more debilitating one reached the foreshore of Barangay Tangculogan on Saturday, October 25. To their grief, they saw with their naked eyes a sea like used engine oil and a massive fishkill a hundred times worse than what they witnessed in 1973. Appropriately, the EMB issued an “interim cease-and-desist order against the URC distillery immediately following the spill.”

Unfortunately, however, for whatever ethical reason, if there is any, it is operational again. So that, we may ask, will the plea of Oceana for the government to strictly implement the Fisheries Code and Republic Act 10654 see the light of day? Well, that remains to be seen.  Certainly though, the fisherfolks will continue to send distress signals.