Rationale: All in all, our aquatic territory totals 220,842,253 hectares, more than seven times our land territory which is only 30 million hectares. The vastness of the Philippine time maritime zone and its rich resources dictates that we should have a marine-based economy. In spite of this reality, it is ironic that we do not have a department whose primary purpose is to concentrate on and service the needs of the fisheries sector.> We need a department that has the muscle to see to it thatour laws and rules are followed, our corals are protected, and a few rich fishermen are prevented from totally scraping our fishing grounds to the detriment of the small fisherfolks.