MANILA, Philippines- A militant alliance of small fisherfolk groups is not receptive to the proposed creation of Department of Fisheries, asserting that government should first review and repeal the existing Philippine Fisheries Law of 1998 before jumping into a new venture that would be rendered useless and anti-Filipino by the 14 year old Fisheries Code.
“We suggest our lawmakers to first undertake a thorough review of the Fisheries Code of 1998, pursue the law’s repeal and work out its replacement by a progressive edict that would be responsive to the collective interest of 7 million people directly and indirectly dependent on fishing,” the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a press statement.
Lawmakers at the House of Representatives are pushing for the legislative approval of a bill creating the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources which would focus on conservation, development and use of the country’s marine resources.
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