A fisherfolk group has denounced an ongoing 247-hectare reclamation project that threatens to affect over 6,000 families in Banago village, Bacolod City.
In a consultation held with local residents on Nov. 7, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) alarm over the project’s threats to the livelihood and shelter of thousands of fisherfolk and urban poor families.
According to the group’s provincial chapter in Negros Occidental, small-scale fisherfolk in the area can no longer gather mussels and oysters in parts of the shoreline that have already been reclaimed.
“Affected residents already filed a complaint at the provincial office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), but the said agency has yet to address the matter,” PAMALAKAYA said.
Ronnel Arambulo, PAMALAKAYA Vice Chairperson, highlighted the project’s impact on both the environment and the community’s income, claiming that the reclamation began without proper documentation, including an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
The urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) also voiced opposition, specifically against the planned relocation of displaced families to areas far from their traditional fishing grounds.
KADAMAY Secretary General Eufemia Doringo expressed frustration over the proposal, which would require affected residents to pay a monthly amortization of PHP 2,500.
PAMALAKAYA announced it would seek the intervention of the DENR central office, pressing for a formal investigation into the project, which is led by the Bacolod Reclamation Gateway Corp., a company owned by City Councilor Vladimir Gonzales.
