Members of the fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) held a coastal protest in Manila Bay on Tuesday, September 15, following the latest increase in fuel prices.

PAMALAKAYA said small-scale fishers are only beginning to resume fishing after more than three months of an “involuntary hiatus” due to the southwest monsoon (Habagat), which intensified several typhoons.

“Nagsisimula nang manumbalik ang mga mangingisda sa laot matapos ang ilang buwang hindi makapangisda dahil sa Habagat. Subalit dagdag pasanin pa rin nila ang panibago na namang taas-presyo ng produktong petrolyo sa gitna ng wala pa ring kasiguruhan sa hanapbuhay,” PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson Fernando Hicap said in a statement.

The group said some fisherfolk who recently went fishing earned only enough to cover their production expenses. With the latest fuel price increase, PAMALAKAYA said small-scale fishers may no longer be able to recover their operating costs or earn income from their trips.

PAMALAKAYA also criticized the government’s fuel subsidy for vulnerable sectors, which it described as “elusive and insufficient.”

The group has called for the removal of value-added tax (VAT) and excise tax on fuel products, which it said add around P15 to P17 per liter to fuel prices.

PAMALAKAYA said removing the taxes would allow a fisher who typically uses about 10 liters of fuel per fishing trip to save around P150 per operation.

The group also criticized the absence of the Fuel Assistance to Fisherfolk Program in the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) proposed P12.2-billion budget for 2027.

PAMALAKAYA said the program is important to the fishing sector, particularly amid the continuing economic difficulties and the impact of calamities on fisherfolk.