[Kasalikasan] When SC sides with big fishers, who really wins?

PORT. A photo of Navotas Fish Port Complex taken November 2022. Wikimedia Commons The Supreme Court declared unconstitutional, 13-2, a government policy that mandated vessel monitoring systems in commercial vessels, citing due process, equal protection of the law, and violations of rights against unreasonable searches First off, my apologies for being missing in action last July. This newsletter took a break because it’s been hectic in the newsroom as we cover the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. It was also my birthday month, so I enjoyed a bit of time off from all the hustle and bustle of journalism, even just for a while. I was extra grateful this year as it’s the first time in years celebrating without a tropical storm brewing. Last year, I was stuck in Makati after much flooding in Metro Manila due to monsoon rain. We take what we can get. I really thought July would end without much ado, at least for our cluster; I didn’t even have much expectation of the President’s second to the last State of the Nation Address. In the newsroom, we always stop each other from saying it’s a slow news day, afraid of jinxing an otherwise peaceful day. Yet nothing about July, especially the tail end of it, was slow. For starters, last week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. just made the possibility of allowing incineration in the Philippines SONA-official: “Kailangan pa rin nating iwasto ang ating pamamaraan sa pagtapon ng basura (We still need to fix our waste disposal methods). One systemic intervention is to update our 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, aligning it with modern waste management practices, such as waste-to-energy and waste treatment technology,” Marcos said in his speech last July 27. It was in January when environment officials hinted at the possibility of amending the law to allow new incineration technologies. The next months would see several landfill incidents seemingly making a case for waste-to-energy as a solution to the country’s solid waste problem. Environmentalists remain cautious. Rappler’s environment reporter Iya Gozum wrote about that conundrum last February. Aside from waste management, energy security and disaster risk reduction and management also made it to the speech (Don’t get me started with Pax Silica…). The yearly SONA signals where a President’s priorities lie, and that speech before Congress last Monday clearly showed where Marcos’ are. Meanwhile, over at the judiciary branch, big news at the Supreme Court on July 30 after it declared unconstitutional, 13-2, a government policy that mandated vessel monitoring systems (VMS) in commercial vessels, citing due process, equal protection of the law, and violations of rights against unreasonable searches. Never mind that countries the world over have used VMS for ocean transparency and to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. “Ultimately, the push to mandate a robust vessel monitoring system is about far more than regulatory compliance. It is the frontline defense for the livelihoods of artisanal fisherfolk and the ecological integrity of our municipal waters,” climate activist Yeb Sano wrote. Oceana Philippines’ Von Hernandez called on the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to appeal the decision: “A government that cannot see cannot enforce its laws, and a government that will not enforce its rules has abandoned the fisherfolk it swore to protect. ” Now, what does August have in store for us? Till the Tuesday after next! Here are other stories from our cluster that you shouldn’t miss: – Rappler.com Kasalikasan is a bimonthly newsletter featuring environmental and science issues, delivered straight to your inbox every other Tuesday. Visit rappler.com/newsletters to subscribe. How does this make you feel? Loading