Atty. Gloria Ramos
We celebrate the month of May as the Month of the Ocean under Proclamation No. 57 signed by then President Joseph Ejercito in December 11, 1998.
The proclamation designated the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to spearhead the observance and coordinate with other stakeholders including local governments in ensuring coordinated activities that “highlight conservation, protection and sustainable management of Philippine coastal and ocean resources.”
Why May as the focal month of the celebration? It is said that May is the peak fishing season in the country and thus “an appropriate venue for direct beneficiaries to show their support for management initiatives pertaining to the oceans.”
Our Constitution ordains the government as agent of the State “to protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial seas and Exclusive Economic Zone and to reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.”
We hope that many of our public officials and civil servants are actively performing said mandate and help promote respect for our sovereignty and sovereign rights.
The Philippines is globally acknowledged as hosting a treasure trove of species of corals, reefs, mangroves and diverse marine resources in its 7, 600 islands.
We are part of the elite seven countries, known as the Coral Triangle, a triangular area of the tropical marine waters in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, that contain at least 500 species of reef-building corals in each ecoregion.
They are called the “amazons of the seas” and a highest priority for global conservation.
But our precious natural heritage, our oceans, are facing an unprecedented attack from us humans. Two-thirds of our principal fishing grounds are already being overfished. That pronouncement came from our fish experts including BFAR, no less.
Overfishing, illegal fishing, pollution and coastal developments (a.k.a. reclamation projects) have caused the rapid decline of our fish populations, the decimation of marine species and the fragile interconnected marine ecosystems — corals, seagrass, and mangroves — and untold poverty of our fisherfolk and others principally dependent on a vibrant ocean for sustenance.
Some “pasaway” coastal local government units act as if the now-stronger amended Fisheries Code does not exist by allowing the banned commercial fishing to continue in the municipal waters.
They should be among the list of officials whom Agriculture Secretary Piñol has declared will be made accountable for their grave sin of omission and perhaps felonious collaboration with the illegal elements plundering our municipal waters.
Fishing by using hulbot-hubot (modified Danish Seine) is declared illegal nationwide by the amended Fisheries Code and in 2013, by the Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 246.
But they are still found in many municipal waters with some apprehended by dedicated enforcement agencies in Negros Occidental and in the Tañon Strait protected seascape.
Under the FAO 246, a six-month period was provided for the gear to be decommissioned.
It is high time for BFAR to require the regional directors to explain why hulbot-hulbot gear still proliferates in the waters under their respective region.
In various studies and dialogues including one conducted by the Coastal Law Enforcement in Central Visayas (Clear-7), the encroachment by commercial fishers in municipal waters is considered the number one issue facing not just our subsistence fisherfolk but also in having a sustainable management of our waters.
We cannot wait for the fish stocks to collapse. We have to avail of science-based interventions to manage our fisheries — now.
Indeed, how can we possibly survive without healthy oceans?
The dire situation are both food security and national security concerns, especially as climate change has already impacted the ecological integrity of our ecosystems.
It should not be forgotten that we are among the most vulnerable countries to the negative effects of climate change.
As we are the problem, we should also be the solution.
The good news is there is a growing convergence among people in government, nongovernment organizations and in local communities in exercising the much-needed collective will to restore the abundance that our oceans bring us.
A good example is the province of Negros Occidental which stands out for its effective law enforcement program and well-managed marine protected areas. At some point, southwest Cebu was considered the model of coastal resource management program in the past.
Let us revive the enthusiasm, energy and the political will to make things better for healthy and vibrant oceans in our dear province.
Mention should also be made of the marked improvement in ocean governance in Tañon Strait since the convening of the first General Assembly in February 10, 2015.
The protected seascape now has a fully functional management board, executive committee and site management units in the provinces of Cebu, Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental.
The general management plan with the enforcement plan had been approved and now operationalized. Joint seaborne operations have deterred illegal fishing and reduced the sightings of commercial fishing, a far cry in 2015 when impunity of our laws in the seas prevailed.
The most heartwarming of all was the sharing of our artisanal fishers that they are harvesting more fish and that species of fish they considered lost are back. They attribute the implementation of our laws and sustainable fisheries management as the reasons why their faces are happy once more.