Picture of fishermen in Maguindanaon. Image Source: Self designed

Officials reported that all three men died from gunshot wounds, which they sustained while they were together with two other fishermen in a pumpboat. Due to the attack, the boat of the victims caught fire. One fisherman could be rescued one other is missing.

The attack by the unknown gunmen happened far away from the fishermens home of Milbuk, in the Sultan Kudarat province in Region 12. The attackers immediately fled after on a small motorboat. While the victim's families are mourning the loss, Sulu Vie Governor Abdusakur Tan called for intensified coastal patrols saying "This incident highlights the urgent need to improve coastal patrols and intelligence to protect our fishing communities." Additional resources have been deployed by the police to find out who was behind the attack, but also to prevent similar attacks in the region.

"This incident highlights the urgent need to improve coastal patrols and intelligence to protect our fishing communities."

This latest attack is part of a bigger problem in the Sulu region, namely the livelihood of fishermen and their families, over fishing and security concerns.

The Importance of the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape for the People in Sulu

The 2025 IUU Fishing Risk Profile for the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape (SSS), which covers ocean within territorial seas of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, provides fishery resources for about 40 million people who are dependent on it with their livelihood. About 70 % of the SSS area lies within Philippine territory, with 60 % of coastal Filipinos making their livelihoods through marine resources. The Philippine fisheries face several problems, not just with over fishing, but also fishing vessels from other countries, like Vietnamese, Malaysian or Indonesian, fishing outside their registered zones. Another point of concern is the operation of criminal enterprises in the region, further posing a threat to not just their livelihood but also their security. The report further states that "small-scale fishers are among the country’s poorest and most socially vulnerable sectors. Fisher folk have the second highest poverty rate of any profession in the Philippines, with 26.2 percent living below the official poverty threshold."

"Small-scale fishers are among the country’s poorest and most socially vulnerable sectors. Fisherfolk have the second highest poverty rate of any profession in the Philippines, with 26.2 percent living below the official poverty threshold."

Security Concerns and a History of Piracy

Piracy in the Sulu sea has a long standing history, rooted in the colonial past and conflicts between the Moro people and Spain, making the Sulu Sea a "hotspot for kidnapping and hijacking." With their foundation in the 1970s, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) financed part of their past armed conflict through maritime crime. The Diplomat calls the 2013 incursion of Lahad Datu by the so-called Royal Sulu Force the "most infamous incident" of maritime crime, as they traveled undetected through the Sulu Sea. Maritime terrorism has been called an extensions of offshore terrorism, an instability that has been an on-going issue for the Sulu region. In 2017 the International Maritime Bureau called the "Sulu Sea between eastern Malaysia and the Philippines as an increasing dangerous region," with another report stating 33 incidents that year alone. And attacks on fisherman have been re-occurring over the years.

Incursion of Lahad Datu by the so-called Royal Sulu Force was the "most infamous incident" of maritime crime according to the Diplomat.

Effectively working on preventing maritime crime works hand in hand with dismantling organizations on land, with dedicated military and police operations on the sea and increased patrols in the most affected areas. These efforts need to be widened over the borders of Sulu. One international cooperation that has been established since 2017 and recently had its 27th meeting, is the INDOMALPHI cooperation between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. This Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA) enforces cooperative maritime and air patrols in the Sulu Sea, fighting against "armed robbery, kidnapping, transnational crime and terrorism in the Sulu and Sulawesi seas."

Protection of Marine Life and the People in the Sulu Sea

Government, police, military and the civil society are tackling the issues surrounding the SSS area from different levels. In June a joint program between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines was launched to protect the marine ecosystem, which is an important step not just for marine life, but also to continue fishery as a means to earn a livelihood for the people in Sulu who are depending on it. Increased security for the fisherman cannot be left aside as an issue that needs to be continued to be addressed. With the most recent incident, local police and officials are coordinating their efforts, to find the perpetrators behind the attack, but also to prevent future ones.

REFERENCES

Agence France-Presse. (2017, January 10). Eight Philippine fishermen shot dead at sea. Yahoo News. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/

Al Safina Security. (2017, February 26). Guidance on Sulu Sea attacks released. Al Safina Security. https://alsafinasecurity.com/

Conservation International. (2025, June 2). SeaConnect: Regional initiative to boost marine protection, livelihoods, and regional collaboration in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape. https://www.conservation.org/

Indo-Pacific Defense Forum. (2024, June 14). Trilateral partnership: Strengthening maritime law enforcement in Southeast Asia. https://ipdefenseforum.com/

Manila Bulletin. (2025, August 27). 3 fishers killed in Sulu Sea fire. https://mb.com.ph/

Royal Malaysian Navy (2025, June 13). 27th INDOMALPHI Joint Working Group Meeting on the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/

Philstar.com. (2025, August 27). 3 fishermen from mainland Mindanao killed in Sulu. https://www.philstar.com/

Pinoy Aksyon News. (2025, August 27). Deadly boat attack in Sulu Sea leaves 3 fishermen dead, 1 missing; security concerns rise. https://www.pinoyaksyonnews.com/

Santiago Oreta, J. (2023, March 28). Terrorism as an evolving threat to Southeast Asia’s maritime security. Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. Center for Strategic and International Studies. https://amti.csis.org/

Stimson Center. (2025). IUU Fishing Risk Profile for the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape. https://www.stimson.org/

Yisa, Z. (2020, June 3). Dangerous waters: Maritime crime in the Sulu Sea. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/