Bulatlat News
By JACINTO LINGATONG
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Fisherfolk felt hopeless after their
on the proposed floating solar panel farm ended without any resolution and most of their concerns unaddressed.
Local fisherfolk, represented by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA Pilipinas) and environmental advocates from the Save Laguna Lake Movement (SLLM) emphasized the lack of transparency and genuine public consultation during the dialogue.
“Despite LLDA’s claims that consultations for the project were conducted in 2023, it became evident during the dialogue that there was no clear consultation process involving the fishermen,” said Ronnel Arambulo, vice-chairperson of PAMALAKAYA Pilipinas.
According to the group, consultations with the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (FARMC) of Laguna and Rizal took place in April 2023, but these were limited and did not discuss the impacts of the project on the communities along the lake.
The dialogue between LLDA and local fishers took place last July 3.
LLDA said the project is a priority under Executive Order No. 80, with support from the Department of Energy (DOE), following a ceremonial turnover in May 2023.
During the dialogue, they said that LLDA failed to provide detailed explanations about the project and its potential impacts on the livelihoods of local fishers.
“Key issues such as the project’s impact on fisherfolk’s livelihoods and the health of the lake were left unanswered. Instead, they deferred these discussions to a future public scoping, suggesting that detailed explanations and mitigation strategies would be addressed then,” said Arambulo.
The project, a flagship initiative involving Singapore-based companies Blue Leaf and Sun Asia, aims to utilize 2,000 hectares of Laguna de Bay.
While the LLDA said only a small portion of the lake would be used and that studies had been conducted to ensure the project’s viability, these did little to alleviate the fisherfolk’s concerns.
PAMALAKAYA said that the dialogue was insufficient and did not genuinely address the reservations of the fishing sector.
“The LLDA should be protecting our livelihoods and the lake’s ecosystem rather than facilitating projects that could harm them,” Alejandro Alcones, a fisherfolk from Bay, Laguna, asserted during the dialogue.
He expressed skepticism on the promised benefits and feared that the project “would primarily benefit large businesses while further marginalizing small-scale fisherfolk emphasizing the need for continued public support to halt the destructive project and preserve Laguna Lake for future generations.”
“We call on citizens and environmental advocates to join in solidarity with the fisherfolk and residents of the Laguna Lake shoreline to preserve and enhance the lake and its resources,” Alcones added. (JJE, RTS) 
