Various fisherfolk groups strongly condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to grant a company its petition to open municipal waters to plunder by large-scale commercial fishing. Municipal waters cover seas within 15 kilometers from the shoreline.

According to Pamalakaya, this decision will devastate the livelihood of around 2 million fisherfolk. Small-scale fishers who use traditional and manual fishing methods cannot compete with the advanced, and often destructive, equipment and technology of commercial fishers.

Due to advanced equipment, large fishing vessels quickly depletes all types of marine resources.