Fisherfolk in Cagayan are seeking accountability and compensation for the “irrevocable” damage caused by dredging operations to the marine ecosystem and fishery resources, a fishers’ group said.

During a recent consultation in Aparri, Pamalakaya heard complaints from fisherfolk about the “irrevocable” damage caused by dredging operations.

In a statement on Tuesday, April 29, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said small fishers in Aparri and nearby coastal towns continue to suffer from depleted fish catch even after the dredging operations ended.

What used to be earnings of P7,000 per fishing trip dropped to as low as P900 at the height of the dredging activities, and now average only P3,000 to P4,000 per trip, the group said.

Pamalakaya Secretary General Salvador France said that despite the end of the dredging operation in the Cagayan River, fishers continue to suffer from the damage it inflicted on fisheries and their livelihood.

“Kinakailangan pa rin na may mapanagot at pagbayarin ng kompensasyon ang kumpanyang nagsagawa ng mapanirang dredging (There is still a need to hold accountable and demand compensation from the company that carried out the destructive dredging),” he said.

The group earlier alleged that the dredging project involved the extraction of black sand, or magnetite, a highly valuable mineral that Chinese dredgers exploited and exported “under the radar.”

It has also called on the House of Representatives to launch an independent investigation into the damage caused by the dredging, disclose the agreements made with Chinese contractors during the Duterte administration, and push for the immediate rehabilitation of the affected marine areas.