A local group of fishing industry stakeholders expressed concern over the possibility of the issuance by the European Commission (EC) of a red card against the Philippines in relation to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. in a letter dated June 5 to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture said the EC has warned it will issue a red card to the Philippines if the government will not implement the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 266 series of 2020.
The order required commercial fishing operators to only use SRT (Marine Systems) transceivers in complying with regulations of various countries and world organizations before allowed to fish in high seas for monitoring and reporting purposes.
A red card against the Philippines may affect the country’s ability to trade with European Union members.
However, the alliance said the FAO 266 is currently facing legal impediments and its non-implementation must not be used by the EC as basis for the issuance of a red card.
The group said in the letter the Philippines must be provided by the European Union with an opportunity to respond and provide evidence refuting claims or a plan of action to improve and take measures to rectify situations if needed.
The group also mentioned that if FAO 266 is forced to be implemented, it can “wipe out” the commercial fishing industry and affect food security as well as employment.
“Any VMS (vessel monitoring system) implementation should consider and balance the importance of both these (import and domestic) sectors. In the end, it also begs the question of priorities between two geographical consumers thousands of kilometers apart. Those in foreign markets for their tuna and high value fish requirements or the domestic consumers and their daily fish requirements of galunggong and sardines?” the letter added.
The group also emphasized that if FAO 266 will be implemented without amending the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, all commercial fishing boats will also have no choice but to stop operations.
