PALO, Leyte — Hundreds of fishermen, academics and environmental advocates marched 17 kilometers across Leyte to renew calls for the protection of municipal waters against encroaching commercial fishing vessels.

The “Aton an Kinse” solidarity walk began before dawn at the Visayas State University– Tolosa campus and ended at the MacArthur Memorial Landing Park in Palo. The campaign is a response to a 2024 Supreme Court decision that allows commercial fishing within the 15-kilometer zone traditionally reserved for small-scale, municipal fishers.

It upheld a Malabon Regional Trial Court decision in the Mercidar Fishing case, which declared certain provisions of the Fisheries Code unconstitutional due to technical defaults by the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

The case challenged the exclusive rights of marginal fisherfolk to municipal waters as mandated by Republic Act 10654.

During the rally, participants urged local government units and “Bantay Dagat” teams to strengthen enforcement. They argued that commercial vessels threaten the meager resources available to local, small-scale fishers.