ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two of Zamboanga’s biggest fishing and canning groups are urging Congress to reject a global labor treaty they believe could cripple the city’s billion-peso sardines industry.

For local industry leaders, the International Labor Organization’s Convention 188 (C188) isn’t just another policy — they say it’s a move that could “ravage” the commercial fishing and canning sector in what’s long been known as the Sardines Capital of the Philippines.

'It will destroy jobs,' industry warns

SOPHIL Fishing Association president Engr. Julius Daniel said adopting C188 would shake the local economy and put thousands of workers at risk.

“C188 will destroy our industry and cost many people their jobs,” Daniel said, urging lawmakers to prioritize local employment and economic stability over the new international labor requirements.

Instead of adopting the treaty, he wants the government to tighten enforcement of existing Philippine laws, which he says already cover worker safety and vessel standards.

“We already have strong regulations — the Labor Code, the Amended Fisheries Code, Marina safety rules, and Philippine National Standards for fishing vessels,” he noted. “If the government focused on enforcing these, we could protect workers without the heavy economic burden that C188 brings.”

Daniel added that ratifying the global convention would further strain operators already struggling with rising fuel, maintenance, and operational costs — issues that have been making it harder to compete with neighboring countries.

A pillar of the Zamboanga economy

Industrial Group of Zamboanga Inc. (IGZI) president Leonardo Y. Tan, who also heads ZC E&L Corporation, emphasized how deeply the region relies on fishing and canning.

He pointed out that the canning sector supports thousands of workers — from fishing crews to processing plants, logistics providers, ice suppliers and tin can manufacturers.

Zamboanga City hosts around 12 sardine factories, producing an estimated 80 percent of the nation’s total sardine output. It’s an industry that pumps billions of pesos into the economy, Tan said.

He added that the factories alone use roughly 80 percent of the local annual catch, driving a huge chunk of the region’s economic activity.

For Tan, the stakes are clear: “This industry is crucial to the socio-economic stability of the entire Zamboanga Peninsula.”