THE Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), along with fisherfolk and allied groups, called for a national mass action on May 31, National Fisherfolk’s Day, to protest decades of policies they say have marginalized small-scale fishers and degraded the environment.

In a press conference on May 28, the coalition highlighted the long-standing structural injustices faced by artisanal fisherfolk, linking their struggles to neoliberal economic policies dating back to the 1980s.

Ian Rivera, PMCJ national coordinator, said that these policies — rooted in frameworks promoted by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank during the Marcos regime and upheld by subsequent administrations — have contributed to declining fisheries, weakened livelihoods, and worsening environmental degradation.

“The struggle of all marginalized sectors is rooted in the enactment of neoliberal laws, and the impact on artisanal fisherfolk is not an isolated case,” Rivera said.

He cited the Amended Fisheries Code, which allows commercial fishing up to 10.1 kilometers from the shoreline, and the Water Code (Presidential Decree No. 167), which permits excessive water extraction — up to 300% in the case of the Metro Cebu aquifer — as examples of laws harming fisherfolk and marine ecosystems.

Rivera also criticized a recent Supreme Court ruling that he said favors corporate interests over the rights of fisherfolk and environmental sustainability.

"Restore our fishing grounds, restore our lives!" Members of BARUG Villanueva for Climate Justice and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice held a fluvial procession near the Steag Power Inc. and FDC Misamis coal-fired power plants on November 20 to mark World Fisheries Day 2024. Joined by the Old Balacanas Fisherfolk Organization, the group highlighted the plight of displaced fishers whose livelihoods were disrupted by the construction of the two power plants in their community. File photo courtesy of PMCJ

“The Philippine government is now complicit in the commodification of nature,” he added.

PMCJ is among several organizations that filed petitions challenging the ruling, warning of its long-term impact on coastal communities.

Laica Rayel, campaign head for PMCJ’s Food, Land, Water, and Climate program, called out government inaction.

“Since December 2024, multiple groups have filed petitions, yet government agencies have shown no urgency. This failure is a clear sign of support for profit-driven agendas over people’s rights,” she said.

The press conference was joined by groups including Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Samahan ng mga Maliliit na Mangingisda Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Samama-ama), and Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Mangingisda (Pangisda-Pilipinas).

A protest is set for May 30 in Mendiola, Manila, with parallel actions to be held in coastal areas such as Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, Sarangani, Lanao del Norte, and Zamboanga City — regions facing threats from commercial and environmental encroachment.

“We call on all marginalized sectors, especially those directly affected by these policies, to join us in this fight for justice,” Rivera said.