Cebu is setting up a province-wide mechanism to track fish prices and supply conditions, including disruptions caused by bad weather, closed fishing seasons, fish kills and other emergencies.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro signed Executive Order No. 50, Series of 2026, creating Cebu Task Force “Magwayen” and adopting the Bantay Presyo Isda Program to monitor fish commodities from landing areas to retail markets.
Unlike price monitoring focused solely on public markets, the new system will track fish at different points of the supply chain, including landing centers, fish ports, wholesale markets and retail outlets.
The task force will monitor prevailing prices and supply conditions and examine factors behind significant changes in the market.
“The Task Force shall monitor prevailing fish prices at selected landing centers, fish ports, public markets, wholesale markets, and retail outlets,” the executive order states.
Monitoring will cover major fish and fishery commodities traded in Cebu, including premium or high-value species, major commodity fish and other products identified as priorities by the task force.
The provincial government said fish prices can be affected by supply and demand, seasonality, weather disturbances, transportation and logistics costs, fishing conditions, post-harvest losses and market concentration.
Under the order, Task Force Magwayen will establish a standardized Cebu Fish Price Monitoring System and a price alert mechanism to identify unusual price movements.
When significant changes are detected, the task force will validate the information and determine possible causes before referring suspected violations to the appropriate government agency.
The task force will also provide market information to the governor, local government units, fisherfolk, vendors, traders and the public and recommend interventions when market conditions require government action.
Possible measures include direct selling, market linkage, supply augmentation and sourcing fish from alternative areas.
The task force may also recommend improvements in cold-chain and storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses.
Consumers and industry stakeholders will also have a complaint mechanism to report unusual price increases, deceptive pricing, misrepresentation of fish species or size, suspected illegal fish trading, fish quality and safety concerns, and supply disruptions.
The Provincial Agriculture Office will serve as the task force secretariat and maintain a database covering fish prices, supply conditions, market observations, complaints, investigations and actions taken.
It will also prepare a weekly “Cebu TF Magwayen Weekly Fish Price Bulletin” containing prevailing and average prices, supply conditions, significant price movements and market outlooks.
Baricuatro will chair the task force, with Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Roldan H. Saragena as vice-chairperson.
Members will include provincial government offices and representatives from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Trade and Industry Cebu, Philippine Coast Guard Cebu, Cebu Port Authority, League of Municipalities of the Philippines Cebu Chapter, municipal and city agriculturists, and recognized fisherfolk organizations.
Task Force Magwayen will meet quarterly for regular planning and assessment, monthly when fish price or supply concerns become significant, and as needed during emergencies.
A technical working group will also develop monitoring protocols, data collection forms, price alert thresholds and intervention procedures.
Executive Order No. 50 was enacted on Sept. 14, 2026.
Photo by Kaiser Jan Fuentes
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