Protect Pa-aling Fisherfolk from Modern Slavery

Anyone looking for cheap, fresh, and tasty fish in the Philippines won't have any trouble finding it. But sometimes there is a terrible story behind the fish on our plates. Fisherfolk who work in the pa-aling fishing industry are regularly exposed to life-threatening and exploitative working conditions resembling forced labor and modern slavery.

Pa-aling is a very dangerous deep-sea fishing method similar to muro-ami, where fishermen dive 100 feet into the ocean. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary, Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, has cautioned fisherfolk to avoid pa-aling, a practice that is technically legal, but according to her, "risky and life-threatening."

Unfortunately, fisherfolk who have no alternatives will continue to be drawn to pa-aling. But we can help protect them if DOLE releases stricter employment guidelines that meet the standards of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons law.

Sec. Baldoz has instructed DOLE agencies to draft occupational health and safety standards for employers and workers engaged in deep-sea fishing, but they have yet to be published.

Sign our petition and ask the Department of Labor and Employment to release official specific guidelines on the hiring, compensation, and protection of pa-aling fisherfolk.