Dubbed as ‘fishing strike against reclamation’, together with Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya-Pilipinas), Nilad and Ban Reclamation Movement held a fluvial protest in Manila Bay calling for the junking of Republic Act 10654 or the amended Fisheries Code of 1998 and to stop the implementation of the reclamation project in Navotas City.
The groups said that both RA 10654 and the North Bay Boulevard Business Park reclamation project would have negative impacts to the livelihood of fishermen and demolition of their homes. They also said that the planned reclamation would cause further flooding and vast environmental destruction.
According to Pamalakaya-Pilipinas, the amended Fisheries Code would prevent small fishermen from fishing for their livelihood in municipal waters in the whole country lest they pay steep penalties. They would be required to go far out into the sea and compete with big, private and usually foreign fishing vessels where their small boats would capsize.
The amended Fisheries Code lapsed into law on February 2015 without the signature of then-president Benigno Aquino III. Following the Constitution, a legislation approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate submitted to the president should lapse into law after 30 days of submission to the president if it has not been acted on.
The fisherfolk group likened their fate under the reclamation project to hundreds of thousands of jeepney drivers in the government’s jeepney phaseout program nationwide—they would lose their livelihood should the government project proceed.
Thirty fishing boats travelled from Barangay Tangos to Navotas Centennial Park where the fences and markers are being installed in preparation to the reclamation project, known as the Navotas Boulevard Business Park (NBPP).
According to Pamalakaya-Pilipinas, the NBPP is a 650-hectare reclamation project approved by City Mayor John Rey Tianco.
The said project was intended for commercial and mixed use. More than 20,000 Navotas fishermen are expected to be displaced if the project pushed through.
“Since reclamation projects have become the government and private sectors’ business trend, it has already displaced not less than 100,000 coastal settlers in exchange for eco-tourism, commercial business districts, and even government projects,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya-Pilipinas Chairperson uttered.
Green group Nilad also condemned the reclamation project that they said would adversely affect the marine resources and biodiversity in the area and the whole of Metro Manila.
They blamed reclamation projects for the shrinking of mangrove in Manila Bay, making the National Capital Region more vulnerable to natural calamities and disasters. From 54,000 hectares significantly shrank to 2,000 hectares at the present time due to reclamation and conversion projects.
“We will not let them destroy the remaining mangroves left in Manila Bay. We assert our right to fishing grounds and genuine rehabilitation of Manila Bay through mangrove-installation instead of destructive reclamation” Hicap said.
“We call for the scrapping of the National Reclamation Plan that contains more than 100 reclamation projects throughout the country,” ended Hicap.
The fluvial protest was part of the National Peasant Caravan for Land and against Fascism that would take place in major regions and provinces and would lead to a major protest rally on October 25 in Mendiola, Manila.
