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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Sectors seek Cebu prelate's help in bid to stop reclamation project

Sectors seek Cebu prelate's help in bid to stop reclamation project

Published Nov 6, 2021 09:35 pm

CEBU CITY — The cry for help continued as sectors that will be affected by the proposed 235.8-hectare reclamation project in Consolacion town, northern Cebu have turned to Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma in a desperate attempt to stop the project.

Residents, fisherfolks, motorcycle-for-hire drivers, vendors and shipyard workers have requested an audience with the Archbishop to seek guidance.

“With no one else to turn to, we ask on bended knees for your help and guidance. We are like sheep in need of a shepherd. We pray that you grant us an audience and hear us out,” read the letter that was sent to Palma on November 3.

“We are desperate because the lives and that of our children are at stake. Please hear our plea, our beloved Archbishop,” they said.

The affected sectors have previously sent a letter to President Duterte, asking the chief executive to stop the reclamation project “because it would not only threaten their livelihood and their homes but also the environment.”

“We are already poor but what little livelihood we have left is being threatened by the plan of the municipal government to reclaim 235.8 hectares and turn it into what they call as Seafront City,” they said.

“The project, which is the centerpiece of the Alegado administration, does not only threaten our livelihood but our homes as well,” they added.

In his State of the Town Address on October 25, Consolacion Mayor Johannes Alegado said he would focus the remaining eight months of his administration on the reclamation project.

His mother, Vice Mayor Teresita Alegado, who is running for mayor in 2022, also promised to continue the project.

In their letter to Palma, the affected sectors said the project would not only affect Tayud fishermen but also those coming from the nearby cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue as well as Liloan town.

A study conducted by Dr. Filipina Sotto, project leader of FBS-Environment and Community Research and Development Services, showed that at least 500 fisherfolk from Consolacion, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, and Liloan stood to lose their livelihood if the project pushed through.

The FBS is a Cebu-based think tank that focuses on environmental issues.

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