Fisheries Code amendments ‘won’t kill fishing industry’

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Cynthia Villar yesterday belied claims by a commercial fishing organization that a proposal to amend the Fisheries Code would kill the local fishing industry.

Reacting to a print advertisement prepared by the Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. (APFFI), Villar said many of the claims made by the organization were inaccurate.

Villar said all stakeholders were consulted during the deliberations on Senate Bill 2214, and their inputs were incorporated in the final version that was approved by Congress.

The Senate and the House of Representatives have approved their respective versions of the bill. The consolidated version is now with President  Aquino for signing.

In the advertisement that came out yesterday, the APFFI asked the President to veto the bill, saying its provisions are detrimental to commercial fishing operations.

Villar said the maximum penalty for illegal fishing under the bill would not reach P90 million as claimed by the APFFI. She said the approved penalty is only up to P45 million.

The lawmaker said this applies only to deep-sea fishing or the big commercial fishing operators, which she said should bear higher penalties because of the size of their operations.

She said that a range was provided for penalties in the bill so that small fishing companies would be fined lower amounts.

“They would agree to that amount because without that, their exports would not be allowed in the European Union,” she said.

Villar said the fines collected would be used to help small fishermen through financing of their livelihood programs, scholarships, facilities and other programs.

She said the stronger penalties in the bill are necessary to ensure that deep-sea fishing will be sustainable.

Meanwhile, Negros Oriental Rep. Henry Teves, one of the authors of the proposed amendments to the Fisheries Code, downplayed the issues raised by the group.

 Teves said it is unlikely that President Aquino would veto the bill as some of the amendments are meant to comply with standards set by the European Union (EU) on fish exports from the Philippines.

The EU has given the country until Dec. 19 to impose regulations.

“The EU will issue a ‘red card’ on the country’s fishery products once we fail to meet the deadline,” Teves said.