The Iloilo Provincial Government has filed a motion for leave of court to be able to intervene in the motion for reconsideration submitted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). The petition seeks a review on a decision of the Supreme Court (SC) on commercial fishing inside municipal waters.

The provincial government filed the motion on February 21, 2025.

The recent decision of the SC First Division that allows commercial fishing to operate inside the 15-kilometer municipal water zone has worried small-scale fishermen and their families.

The Municipality of Oton, one of coastal towns in the province that opposed the decision, said that commercial fishing inside municipal waters is detrimental to both fishermen and to the fish population.

It was pointed out that commercial fishing is expected to lead to dwindling fish catch of marginal fishermen, and may decimate small fishes.

A large chunk of the population in Barangay  Poblacion South in Oton, for example, relies heavily on fishing as a source of income.

Marginal fishermen in coastal towns could only hope that the Supreme Court would hear them out and help protect their means of livelihood.

The coastal towns that submitted their position papers are Oton, Ajuy, Anilao, Barotac Nuevo, Barotac Viejo, Batad, Carles, Concepcion, Dumangas, San Dionisio, San Joaquin, Guimbal, Miagao, Tigbauan, and Estancia.