Pamalakaya said there are several reclamation projects that continue to move forward despite the government’s announced suspension on reclamation activities in 2023.

Pamalakaya said there are several reclamation projects that continue to move forward despite the government’s announced suspension on reclamation activities in 2023.

MANILA – World Oceans Day was marked with a protest against Manila Bay reclamation projects on June 8.

Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya staged a protest at the C4 Centennial Park in Navotas City. In 2024, more than 200 mussel farms were demolished there which left around 1,000 fish workers without a main source of livelihood to pave the way for reclamation activities related to the Navotas Coastal Bay Project.

The project, also known as the Navotas Boulevard Business Park, is a 650-hectare land reclamation initiative in Manila Bay being implemented by the Navotas City government in partnership with Argonbay Construction Company, a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC). The project envisions a mixed-use development but has become controversial due to its adverse impact on the environment, livelihood, and coastal communities.

The fishers said that the project which is connected to the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan continues to threaten residents with displacement, worsening floods, and environmental degradation.

In a statement, Romel Escarial, president of Pamalakaya-Navotas, said, “For more than two years, our families have struggled to put food on the table after our mussel farms were removed because of reclamation projects.” He stressed that the “government must restore our primary source of livelihood from the sea and permanently stop these destructive projects.”

According to Pamalakaya, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) is still pushing for the resumption of two reclamation projects in Manila Bay, the Bacoor City reclamation and the 318-hectare Manila Waterfront City reclamation. This is despite Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s suspension on reclamation activities in 2023.

The group stressed that the suspension should remain, citing the assessment released by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) which found significant environmental and socio-economic consequences associated with reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

Photo from Pamalakaya Facebook page

“The PRA is scrambling to push reclamation projects forward while disregarding the existing suspension order and the findings of experts on their harmful impacts,” said Fernando Hicap, national chairperson of Pamalakaya.

He said that the damage caused by reclamation to the livelihood of thousands of fishers in Manila Bay has yet to be addressed. “Even the worsening floods across Metro Manila and neighboring provinces can be traced to these projects.”

According to Pamalakaya, residents affected by the reclamation on a coastal village in Bacoor City are bracing for an impending demolition to implement the 420-hectare reclamation project of the Frabelle Fishing Corp. (FFC), a company owned by the family of current agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr.

The group said that on April 30, fisherfolk and residents received a verbal notice from the local government about the forcible demolition of houses, triggering a protest from the affected residents. Despite having a relocation site in Naic, most fishers still return to Bacoor City because their livelihood primarily relies on the sea.

Meanwhile, the  318-hectare Manila Waterfront City reclamation is set to be developed as Manila’s new central business district.

Pamalakaya said that there are several reclamation projects that continue to move forward despite the government’s announced suspension on reclamation activities in 2023. The group cited the Bacoor City reclamation project and the Navotas Coastal Bay Reclamation Project as among the projects that remain active.

The fisherfolk organization reiterated its call for the permanent cancellation of destructive reclamation projects in Manila Bay, the protection of fishing grounds and marine ecosystems, and the defense of the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and coastal communities.  (DAA)

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