The 15-kilometer zone—long a sanctuary for the Philippines’ millions of artisanal fishers—is under siege. A controversial Supreme Court ruling has cracked open the door to commercial fleets, sparking fierce coastal protests that show no signs of fading.
Across the archipelago’s 36,000 kilometers of coastline, small-scale fishers are taking to the seas and streets. Fluvial parades, long marches, and rallies under the banner “#AtinAngKinse” (“The 15 is Ours”) have become a powerful chorus of resistance. From the waters of Iloilo to the shores of Palawan and the ports of Manila, fisherfolk are declaring: these nearshore waters belong to the people who have stewarded them for generations—not to corporate trawlers chasing profit.
A Ruling That Threatens a Way of Life
The battle traces back to a 2023 petition by Mercidar Fishing Corporation, a commercial operator challenging key provisions of the Philippine Fisheries Code (Republic Act 8550, as amended). The law reserves the first 15 kilometers from the shoreline—known as municipal waters—for small-scale and subsistence fishers. These are the waters where most Filipinos get their fish, where communities have fished sustainably for centuries, and where local governments hold authority to protect both people and marine life.
In a Malabon Regional Trial Court decision, and later affirmed by the Supreme Court’s First Division in August 2024 on technical grounds, those protections were declared unconstitutional. The ruling effectively allows commercial vessels—often equipped with destructive gear—to operate in waters previously off-limits, as long as they stay in depths greater than seven fathoms.
The decision is not yet final. The Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), local government units, and fisherfolk organizations have filed motions for reconsideration and interventions. But the uncertainty has already emboldened some commercial operators, while small-scale fishers brace for the worst.
News from the Frontlines
For the more than one million small-scale fishers who feed the nation, this is not an abstract legal fight. It is survival. Groups like Pamalakaya (Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas), PANGISDA Pilipinas, and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice have led the charge. In May 2025, thousands gathered for National Fisherfolk’s Day, marching to the Supreme Court and demanding reversal of the ruling. In Iloilo, fishers walked 40 kilometers in the scorching sun. In Zambales, boats filled the bays in symbolic “flotilla” protests.
Even local leaders have joined the fray. Provinces like Negros Occidental and Palawan have passed resolutions urging the Supreme Court to protect municipal waters. Senators, including Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, have called for investigations into the ruling’s impact on food security and marine ecosystems.
The World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) stands in full solidarity. As an international movement of small-scale fisher communities, we know this story too well: corporate capture of the seas, backed by flawed legal interpretations, at the expense of those who depend on them most.
The Human and Ecological Cost
Small-scale fishers account for the vast majority of the Philippines’ domestic fish catch—fish that ends up on family tables, not in export containers. Commercial fleets, by contrast, target high-value species for global markets. Allowing them into municipal waters risks accelerating the collapse of already depleted stocks, already strained by overfishing, climate change, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Environmental groups like Oceana warn that the ruling could jeopardize the country’s tuna export certifications, as international buyers demand sustainable practices. But the real crisis is local: a further squeeze on the poorest of the poor. Fisherfolk already rank among the country’s most impoverished sectors. This ruling could push thousands more into hunger and migration.
It also undermines the 1991 Local Government Code, which empowers coastal communities to manage their waters. The Constitution itself affirms the State’s duty to protect the rights of subsistence fishers and promote social justice in the use of marine resources.
The Tide Can Still Turn
The protests continue. As we mark another year of resistance in 2026, the message from the coasts is clear: the 15 kilometers are not for sale.
To our brothers and sisters in the Philippines: WFFP stands firmly in solidarity with Philippine fishermen against the threats of “privatization and commodification of fisheries”.
In its resolutions (particularly section 3 on Privatisation of fisheries), WFFP strongly opposes schemes like Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs), Catch Shares, TURFs, and Rights-Based Fishing. In it’s section 3.4 WFFP reiterates its clear position against privatisation and commodification of our fisheries and fishing territories and denounces the actors including big environmental organisations, the World Bank and regional development banks and corporations who persistently push this agenda.
To allies everywhere: amplify their voices. Support the “Atin Ang Kinse” campaign. Demand that the Supreme Court reverse this unjust ruling. Push for the passage of HB 5606. And remember: when fishers defend their waters, they defend the future of us all.
The sea belongs to the people. “Atin ang dagat. Atin ang kinse”