An alliance of small fisherfolk on Tuesday lamented that they barely felt the effects of the rehabilitation of Manila Bay led by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DENR) on their livelihood.
Pamalakaya chair Fernando Hicap brushed aside DENR’s efforts by citing the continued “ecological degradation” of Manila Bay.
“Fish catch suffer from interminable decline, an indication of an ever-polluted marine resources,” he said in a statement.
The fisherfolk group cited the average fish catch of between two to five kilos per fisherman in Manila Bay.
It has been two years since the national government kicked off its P47-billion rehabilitation program in January, 2019.
This was in compliance with the 2008 Supreme Court mandamus that requires all concerned agencies to “clean-up, rehabilitate, and preserve” Manila Bay.
As part of the rehabilitation program, the DENR made an artificial beat at the baywalk using synthetic white sand made from crushed dolomite.
“Ecological disturbances continue to occur across Manila Bay, such as decline of fish catch, loss of endemic fish species and proliferation of alien species regarded as pests,” Hicap, a former Anakpawis Partylist representative, said.
“Thus, we raise the question on the effectivity of the government’s ongoing rehabilitation drive that costs billions of public funds,” he added.
Pamalakaya also scored the DENR for giving “go signal” to reclamation projects that would cause massive destruction of Manila Bay’s resources, including the displacement of fishing and coastal communities.
“Reclamation defeats the purpose of rehabilitation, as it destroys the essential resources that keep Manila Bay’s abundant marine biodiversity and ecosystem,” he said.