After Municipal Water Rights, Legarda Files Measure to Strengthen Vessel Monitoring, Combat Illegal Fishing, and Pierce Corporate Veil to Further Protect Small Fisherfolk

October 2, 2026

In a resolute move to protect the country’s marine wealth and secure the livelihoods of local coastal communities, Senator Loren Legarda has filed Senate Bill No. 2521, otherwise known as the proposed “Fisheries Vessel Monitoring Act.”

The measure seeks to establish a clear, proportionate, and accountable electronic vessel monitoring framework to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing within the Philippines’ extensive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its 36,289-kilometer coastline.

“Napakahalaga ng ating karagatan, napupuno ito ng yamang bumubuhay sa ating bansa. Ito rin ay bumubuhay sa ating mga maliliit na mangingisda at sa ating mga mga pamayanan sa tabi ng dagat. Hindi natin papayagan na patuloy na sirain ng mga mapagsamantala ang yamang dagat na dapat ay para sa mga Pilipino,” Legarda stressed.

The introduction of this measure is incredibly timely. In the privilege speech of Senator Raffy Tulfo earlier today, he highlighted the dire plight of municipal fisherfolk and the continued, destructive encroachment of commercial vessels into municipal waters. As a final call to action, he affirmed his express support for Senator Legarda’s SBN 522, which champions the preferential rights of municipal fisherfolk and strictly reserves the 15-kilometer municipal waters for their exclusive use. During the same session, Senator Kiko Pangilinan likewise pointed to the recent Supreme Court ruling on vessel monitoring as a pressing national concern that requires immediate legislative intervention. Legarda’s SBN 2521 directly concurs to the urgent sentiments raised on the Senate floor today.

“Nais kong magpasalamat sa aking mga kapwa Senador na sina Senador Raffy Tulfo at Senador Kiko Pangilinan sa pagtataguyod ng kapakanan ng ating mga mangingisda sa Senado,” Legarda shared, referencing the day’s Senate plenary discussions. “Ang inyong suporta ay isang mahalagang hakbang dahil kailangan nating magkaisa para rito. Ngunit, marami pang kailangang gawin upang tuluyang maprotektahan ang ating katubigan, at ito mismong batas na ito ang tutugon sa mga pagkukulang na iyon.”

The bill aims to definitively strengthen the legal basis for monitoring commercial fishing vessels and equip the government with the necessary enforcement tools.

According to the marine conservation group, OCEANA Philippines, strict vessel monitoring is non-negotiable for protecting the 15-kilometer municipal waters. Oceana has consistently argued that tracking commercial fleets is essential to preserve the livelihoods of artisanal fishers, protect coastal marine habitats, and allow enforcement agencies to swiftly respond to illegal intrusions. SBN 2521 champions this exact vision by creating a reliable statutory backbone for such monitoring.

“Kasama rito, kailangan nating ipagtanggol ang karapatan ng ating mga maliliit na mangingisda at siguruhin na ang labinlimang kilometrong municipal waters ay talagang eksklusibo para sa kanila,” she continued. “Nais nating bigyan ng kalasag ang ating mga lokal na mangingisda gayun na rin ang ating kalikasan.”

The filing of SBN 2521 bridges a critical legal gap created by the January 2026 Supreme Court En Banc decision that declared Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 266 unconstitutional due to a lack of clear statutory basis. SBN 2521 directly resolves this by amending Republic Act No. 8550 or The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, explicitly authorizing the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to mandate electronic vessel monitoring systems (VMS).

To ensure complete traceability and close loopholes, the bill mandates monitoring for both catcher and carrier vessels, recognizing that illegal catch is often transferred at sea.

To bring this vision to life, this bill will implement a comprehensive, risk-based tracking framework designed to outsmart illegal operators without burdening small communities. It will mandate the continuous operation of electronic monitoring devices for all commercial, distant-water, and carrier vessels, closing loopholes by ensuring catch is traceable even when transferred at sea. Concurrently, it will empower local government units to adopt their own appropriate tracking rules for municipal boats, shielding small fishers from sweeping national mandates. Beyond tracking, the bill will establish ironclad data privacy measures, strictly protecting vessel locations as sensitive technical information to prevent commercial espionage. Most importantly, this legislation will pierce the corporate veil and hold company directors, managers, and controlling owners personally and criminally liable if they orchestrate or tolerate repeated tracking evasions, ensuring accountability reaches the boardroom.

Addressing concerns from the commercial sector, the legislation makes clear that it does not simply recreate the 24/7 monitoring regime struck down by the Supreme Court. The bill keeps vessel monitoring in place as an enforcement tool, but requires reporting to be proportionate to the area, risk, and enforcement need involved. At the same time, vessel location and movement data remain protected as sensitive technical information and cannot be improperly disclosed or used to give any private party a commercial advantage.

“We recognize and respect the enterprise of our commercial fishing sector. The government should not interfere with legitimate business strategies or expose sensitive commercial information,” Legarda said. “But confidentiality cannot become a shield against lawful monitoring and enforcement. We need a system that protects commercial information while still allowing government to detect illegal fishing, protect municipal waters, and defend the rights and livelihoods of municipal fisherfolk.”

Legarda further emphasized that electronic vessel monitoring is not a novel regulatory burden, but an established global standard for sustainable maritime conservation. The implementation of VMS is a widely adopted practice by leading international bodies and maritime nations, including the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the European Union, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which all utilize these systems to monitor compliance and eradicate IUU fishing.

“We must act now to safeguard our waters. This bill is about tracking our commitment to our marine environment, to our food security, and to the millions of Filipinos who depend on the sea,” Legarda concluded.

Senator Legarda earnestly seeks the immediate passage of SBN 2521 to ensure that the Philippine seas are judiciously utilized, effectively managed, and sustainably conserved for generations to come. [30]

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Matapos Isulong ang Karapatan sa Municipal Waters, Legarda Naghain ng Panukala para Palakasin ang Pagmamatyag sa mga Sasakyang Pangisda, Labanan ang Illegal Fishing, at Panagutin ang mga Kumpanyang Lumalabag

Bilang bahagi ng patuloy na pagsisikap na pangalagaan ang yamang-dagat ng bansa at protektahan ang kabuhayan ng mga pamayanang umaasa rito, inihain ni Senador Loren Legarda ang Senate Bill No. 2521 o ang panukalang Fisheries Vessel Monitoring Act.

Layunin ng panukala na magtatag ng malinaw, makatwiran, at may pananagutang sistema ng electronic vessel monitoring upang masugpo ang Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated o IUU fishing sa Exclusive Economic Zone ng Pilipinas at sa 36,289 kilometrong baybayin ng bansa.

Napapanahon ang paghahain ng panukala kasunod ng mga usaping inilatag sa plenaryo ng Senado hinggil sa kalagayan ng maliliit na mangingisda at sa patuloy na pagpasok ng mga commercial fishing vessel sa municipal waters.

Sa kanyang privilege speech, binigyang-diin ni Senador Raffy Tulfo ang epekto ng ganitong mga paglabag sa municipal fisherfolk at nagpahayag ng suporta sa Senate Bill No. 522 ni Legarda, na naglalayong tiyakin ang prayoridad na karapatan ng mga municipal fisherfolk at panatilihing para sa kanila ang 15-kilometrong municipal waters.

Sa parehong sesyon, binanggit din ni Senador Kiko Pangilinan ang naging desisyon ng Korte Suprema hinggil sa vessel monitoring at ang pangangailangang magkaroon ng malinaw na tugon mula sa Kongreso. Tugon dito ang SBN 2521, na naglalayong punan ang kakulangan sa kasalukuyang batas at maglatag ng malinaw na batayan para sa vessel monitoring.

“Nais kong magpasalamat sa aking mga kapwa Senador na sina Senador Raffy Tulfo at Senador Kiko Pangilinan sa pagtataguyod ng kapakanan ng ating mga mangingisda sa Senado,” ani Legarda kaugnay ng mga talakayan sa plenaryo. “Ang inyong suporta ay isang mahalagang hakbang dahil kailangan nating magkaisa para rito. Ngunit, marami pang kailangang gawin upang tuluyang maprotektahan ang ating katubigan, at ito mismong batas na ito ang tutugon sa mga pagkukulang na iyon.”

Layunin ng panukala na palakasin ang legal na batayan para sa pagmamanman sa mga commercial fishing vessel at bigyan ang pamahalaan ng sapat na kapangyarihan at kagamitan upang maipatupad nang maayos ang mga batas laban sa illegal fishing.

Ayon sa marine conservation group na Oceana Philippines, mahalaga ang mahigpit na vessel monitoring sa pagprotekta sa 15-kilometrong municipal waters. Matagal nang binibigyang-diin ng grupo na ang pagsubaybay sa commercial fishing fleets ay mahalaga upang mapangalagaan ang kabuhayan ng maliliit na mangingisda, maprotektahan ang coastal marine habitats, at agarang matugunan ng mga awtoridad ang iligal na pagpasok sa municipal waters.

Ito rin ang layuning pinatitibay ng SBN 2521 sa pamamagitan ng malinaw na legal na batayan para sa vessel monitoring.

“Kasama rito, kailangan nating ipagtanggol ang karapatan ng ating mga maliliit na mangingisda at siguruhin na ang labinlimang kilometrong municipal waters ay talagang eksklusibo para sa kanila,” dagdag niya. “Nais nating bigyan ng kalasag ang ating mga lokal na mangingisda gayun na rin ang ating kalikasan.”

Inihain ang SBN 2521 upang tugunan ang legal na puwang na nabuo matapos ideklara ng Korte Suprema En Banc noong Enero 2026 na labag sa Konstitusyon ang Fisheries Administrative Order No. 266 dahil sa kakulangan ng malinaw na statutory basis.

Sa ilalim ng panukala, aamyendahan ang Republic Act No. 8550 o Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 upang tahasang bigyan ng kapangyarihan ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources o BFAR na magpatupad ng electronic vessel monitoring systems o VMS.

Saklaw ng monitoring ang parehong catcher at carrier vessels upang masundan ang pinagmulan at paggalaw ng huli, kabilang ang mga isdang inililipat mula sa isang sasakyang pandagat patungo sa isa pa habang nasa dagat.

Magtatatag din ang panukala ng komprehensibo at risk-based na sistema ng monitoring upang masubaybayan ang mga posibleng paglabag nang hindi nagpapataw ng hindi angkop na pasanin sa maliliit na mangingisda.

Kailangang manatiling gumagana ang electronic monitoring devices ng commercial, distant-water, at carrier vessels alinsunod sa mga itinakdang patakaran. Samantala, pahihintulutan ang mga local government unit na magtakda ng angkop na tracking requirements para sa municipal fishing boats batay sa kanilang lokal na kalagayan.

Maglalagay din ang panukala ng mahigpit na proteksiyon sa vessel location at movement data bilang sensitibong technical information upang maiwasan ang maling paggamit nito para sa commercial advantage.

Higit pa rito, maaaring papanagutin nang personal at kriminal ang mga direktor, manager, at controlling owners ng kumpanya kapag napatunayang sila mismo ang nag-utos, pumayag, o sadyang nagbulag-bulagan sa paulit-ulit na pag-iwas sa vessel monitoring requirements. Layunin nitong matiyak na ang pananagutan ay hindi natatapos sa mismong sasakyang pandagat o crew.

Bilang tugon sa mga pangamba ng commercial fishing sector, nililinaw ng panukala na hindi nito basta ibinabalik ang 24/7 monitoring system na pinawalang-bisa ng Korte Suprema.

Mananatili ang vessel monitoring bilang mahalagang kasangkapan sa pagpapatupad ng batas, ngunit ang paraan at dalas ng reporting ay kailangang nakaayon sa lugar, antas ng panganib, at aktuwal na pangangailangan sa enforcement. Kasabay nito, mananatiling protektado ang impormasyon tungkol sa lokasyon at galaw ng mga sasakyang pandagat at hindi maaaring gamitin upang bigyan ng di-makatarungang commercial advantage ang sinumang pribadong partido.

“We recognize and respect the enterprise of our commercial fishing sector. The government should not interfere with legitimate business strategies or expose sensitive commercial information,” ani Legarda. “But confidentiality cannot become a shield against lawful monitoring and enforcement. We need a system that protects commercial information while still allowing government to detect illegal fishing, protect municipal waters, and defend the rights and livelihoods of municipal fisherfolk.”

Binigyang-diin din ni Legarda na hindi bago o kakaibang regulatory requirement ang electronic vessel monitoring. Matagal na itong ginagamit sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng mundo bilang bahagi ng pangangalaga sa karagatan at pagpapatupad ng mga patakaran laban sa IUU fishing.

Kabilang sa gumagamit ng ganitong sistema ang United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration o NOAA, European Union, at United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization o FAO upang masubaybayan ang pagsunod sa mga patakaran at matugunan ang illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Isinusulong ni Legarda ang agarang pagpasa ng SBN 2521 upang matiyak na ang karagatan ng Pilipinas ay nagagamit nang responsable, napamamahalaan nang maayos, at napangangalagaan para sa kabuhayan at seguridad sa pagkain ng mga Pilipino ngayon at ng mga susunod na henerasyon. [30]

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After Municipal Water Rights, Legarda Files Measure to Strengthen Vessel Monitoring, Combat Illegal Fishing, and Pierce Corporate Veil to Further Protect Small Fisherfolk