As the ongoing dredging activities in the Southern part of Manila Bay continues to "affect" the municipal capture fisheries, a group of fisherfolk will be seeking for a dialogue with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) officials to present the adverse impacts of such on biodiversity.
In an official letter sent to BFAR office-in-charge Demosthenes Escoto, the provincial chapter of the national fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) in Cavite requested a dialogue to discuss the impacts of the ongoing dredging activities in the towns of Ternate, Naic, and Rosario in Cavite.
“Malaking perwisyo ang idinudulot ng dredging (pagdadraga) sa kabuhayan ng mga maliliit na mangingisda sa Cavite (The ongoing dredging activities obstruct the fishing livelihood of small fisherfolk in Cavite)," emphasized Pamalakaya-Cavite provincial coordinator Aries Soledad, listing down the impacts of offshore sand extraction observed by the fishers group.
The Pamalakaya noted the disruption and driving away of fish due to noise pollution caused by dredging equipment; bigger waves and increased tidal currents in dredging sites; incidents where fishing nets are being hauled by dredging equipment along with the sand; and drastic decline in fish stocks due dredging-related pollution and stressors.
"Nais naming makuha ang paninindigan ng BFAR sa partikular na isyu na idudulog namin sakanila. Malaki ang tungkulin ng nasabing ahensya sa pagtitiyak ng ating mga pook-pangisdaan at mangingisda (We want to get the commitment of BFAR on this particular issue that we will present to them. The said agency has a responsibility to secure our fishing grounds and municipal fisherfolk)," Soledad stated.
"Inaasahan namin ang BFAR na tumindig pabor sa mga mangingisdang apektado ng dredging at reklamasyon sa Manila Bay na bahagi ng lalawigan ng Cavite (We expect that the BFAR would stand in favor to the fisherfolk affected by the dredging and reclamation projects in Manila Bay covering the province of Cavite)," he went on.
In 2021, the Silverquest Mining Resources Inc. secured an environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for seabed quarrying covering 2, 124 hectares of municipal waters of Ternate and Naic. The Pamalakaya opposed the P12-billion SMRI-Government Seabed Quarry Project that involves dredging of mud, silt, sand, among other quarry materials for the 318-hectare Manila Waterfront Project in the City of Manila.
At present, the group's provincial chapter is currently finalizing a position paper and gathering testimonies from fisherfolk to be submitted on the requested dialogue in time of the 25th anniversary of the Fisheries Code of 1998 this Friday, February 24.
Other issues to be raised are the effects of reclamation projects to the marine and fishery resources in the entire Manila Bay, and the Fisheries Code’s burdening provisions against municipal fisherfolk.