GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The 25th National Tuna Congress opened this week with the unveiling of its trade exhibit at SM General Santos, drawing more than 1,000 participants from across the fisheries value chain. Billed under the theme “The National Tuna Congress @25: Renewing Commitments and Intensifying Strategic Partnerships,” the event highlights cutting-edge technologies, trade opportunities, and collaborative platforms meant to sustain and advance the tuna industry.
Exhibitors displayed a vast array of tuna products, processing equipment, and innovative fishing technologies. Government officials, business leaders, and international stakeholders took the stage to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening the sector, which has long positioned General Santos City as the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines.”
For industry leaders, the congress is a landmark opportunity—an occasion to solidify partnerships, tap new markets, and modernize production. Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources officials, and representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry emphasized the importance of ensuring competitiveness and sustainability.
But beyond the glitter of new technologies and trade prospects lies a sobering reality that many in the crowd know too well: while investors and big industry players expand and rake in profits, the small fisherfolks and lowly plant workers remain at the margins.
Yes, the sector provides employment opportunities for thousands in General Santos and nearby provinces. Yet, these jobs are often low-paying, labor-intensive, and precarious. The lure of economic progress that industry leaders champion does not always trickle down to those who toil at sea or in processing lines, where wages remain meager and working conditions tough.
For handline fishers and municipal fishing communities, the picture is even grimmer. The rising costs of fuel, limited access to modern equipment, and strict compliance requirements push many into deeper economic insecurity. Some are even displaced by large-scale operations that dominate fishing grounds.
In effect, while the Tuna Congress serves as a platform to celebrate achievements and showcase innovations, it also underscores the widening gap between industry prosperity and grassroots struggles. The sector may be gaining competitiveness in global markets, but the ordinary fisherfolk and factory worker—those who make up the backbone of this industry—often gain little from the wealth it generates.
This imbalance raises a pressing question: Who truly benefits from the industry’s growth? If strategic partnerships and innovations continue to sideline the very people whose labor keeps the supply chain alive, then the congress risks becoming a symbol not of shared progress but of exclusion.
At 25 years, the National Tuna Congress has matured into a premier venue for policy-making and business-building. The next challenge lies in ensuring that its promises of sustainability and inclusivity are not mere slogans but lived realities. For progress to be meaningful, the fisherfolk who brave the seas and the workers who process tuna in freezing plants must share equitably in the industry’s gains.
Until then, each congress may provide a good opportunity for investors and exporters, but for many small fisherfolks and employees, the benefits remain as elusive as the tuna stocks they pursue.