“We heard a loud boom and we thought it was a crash landing. We were all scared and traumatized.”

By Veronika Barbosa***Bulatlat.com***

TACLOBAN CITY – On May 5, the Philippine Coast Guard lifted the navigational warning in San Pedro Bay issued during this year’s joint US-Philippines Balikatan exercises in Tacloban. Despite the reopening of the waters, local fisherfolk criticized the government for lack of coordination and support during the military exercises.

Losanto Castillo, 67, president of Tacloban Fisherfolks Urban Association, said that no financial aid was extended by the local government especially when fishers were prohibited from fishing in San Pedro Bay.

“For days, fishers had to find other alternative ways to earn a living, with not a single peso extended by the local and national government who allowed this Balikatan in the seas where we get our everyday sustenance,” Castillo said in the vernacular. “There was no consultation involving us fishermen about the Balikatan exercises, and we were all taken aback that the said activity entails that we will be restricted from fishing in San Pedro Bay.”

“In cases where the livelihood of fisherfolk are affected, we should have a say whether or not we would allow these types of activities near our source of income,” Castillo said.

In an interview, both Daniel Murillo, 64, a fisherman since 1980 in Brgy. 88 San Jose Tacloban, and 46-year old Leonard Romero, said that the restriction forced them to take on side hustles just to buy rice and food for their families.

“Fishing is my main source of income, and without it, my family would have no food on the table. With the rising costs of basic goods, the restriction to fishing in the seas, plus the lack of government support all left us starving and helpless,” Murillo said. “We are living two kilometers away from the airport where the US troops were camping. At that time, we heard a loud boom and we thought it was a crash landing. We were all scared and traumatized.”

When asked if they were informed about the missile launching, the two fishermen said that they were not informed about the said activity.

Read: Groups slam Tomahawk missile firing under Balikatan exercise

“I honestly thought that we were being bombed. I thought we were already being attacked by the enemies of the United States,” Romero said. “With the wars perpetrated by the United States such as in Iran, the presence of US troops and doing this missile launch in Tacloban pose such a grave threat to our security. Who knows in the future, God forbid, we may be targeted by the enemies of the United States. The Philippine government must remain neutral and not participate in these schemes by the US because it is always us–the poor–that will be affected.”

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Sinirangan Bisayas (BAYAN-SB) condemned the firing of the US Typhon missile system in Tacloban. “The Balikatan war exercises disrupt the livelihoods of fisherfolk communities in Tacloban…Communities experience fear, and insecurity as they are not assured of government support to cover the loss of livelihood and income due to the exercises.”

The group also criticized the Marcos, Jr. administration “for supporting the US war machine, and for squandering resources on these war exercises while the Filipino people suffer from an economic crisis”. (AMU, DAA)

The post Tacloban fishers slam Balikatan exercises appeared first on Bulatlat.

From Bulatlat via This RSS Feed.