After a fruitless night of labor at sea, Jesus helped the fishermen by providing a miraculous catch of fish, turning their frustration into a lesson of faith. He then called them to leave their nets and become “fishers of men,” symbolizing a shift from worldly provision to a spiritual mission.

As a fisherman, Peter knew it was a bad time to fish, but he obeyed, saying, “Master, we have worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

In the Gospels, the most famous interactions between Jesus and fishermen occurred when He used their livelihood to teach spiritual lessons.

Jesus’ authority taught the fishermen that following His Word yields abundant results.

The teachings of Jesus transformed the identities of the fishermen. Their patience, hard work and reliance on the elements would now be applied to sharing the “Good News” and gathering people into God’s kingdom.

Are we aware that small Filipino fishermen are facing a devastating crisis?

According to Pangisda-Pilipinas, an alliance of small-scale Filipino fishermen, they started feeling the tension in their livelihood right after the Philippine government made its claim of ownership of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and allowed the US military back in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

The day-to-day fishing activities of our local fishermen have been severely affected as they seldom cast their nets into the sea because of fear of possible attacks from the China Coast Guard and the US military.

Thousands of local fishermen, including those in Zambales, Palawan and Bataan, are experiencing the same harassment from the increasing military exercises conducted by the United States, Japan and the Philippines called the Balikatan exercises.

At the WPS, local fishermen complain they are afraid to fish within Philippine territory because they might be killed as US servicemen use live bombs during military exercises, which not only affect their livelihood but also destroy the marine ecosystems along the coast.

Local folks describe the joint military exercises between the US military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines as “shameful proof of the subservient foreign policy of the Philippines as the government allows the increased presence of genocide-enabling and imperialist foreign military forces.”

Such joint military exercises only provoke China’s aggression in the WPS. This is not surprising since then and now foreign militarization does not promote our national interest.

Militant groups condemn such joint military exercises, saying the presence of American military troops and armaments in the country only makes the Philippines a potential target of a military attack by China.

Due to the harassment by foreign vessels in the West Philippine Sea, small-scale Filipino fishermen are complaining of plummeting catch rates, territorial harassment by foreign vessels, aside from the fierce competition from commercial fleets encroaching on protected municipal waters.

These factors, combined with overfishing, have pushed coastal communities into severe poverty. I am hoping the Philippine authorities will do something to help our local fishermen.