Mussel farmers and fisherfolks along with environmental advocates, church, and faith-based groups formed a human chain along Radial Road 10 in Navotas Centennial Park while emphasizing calls for protection of livelihood and human rights following the ongoing reclamation projects in the coastal areas of Manila Bay. This activity was conducted in time for the 54th year commemoration of the Earth Day on April 21.
Before this gathering, PAMALAKAYA, Defend CAMANAVA, and other supporting groups held a forum entitled A Reflection Circle: Padaluyin ang Katarungan Gaya ng Ilog in Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Grace.
After the forum, the groups trooped to Navotas City Fountain to conduct a program prior to forming up the human chain. They also danced to the infamous song “Pantropiko” by P-Pop girl group BINI with its chorus lyrics alterred to: “Ano bang ating magagawa? Oh shucks tumindig, lumaban na! Tayo na’t magkaisa. Defend now, Manila Bay!”
Navotaas? Mussel farmers’ livelihood threatened by neglect
Navoteño mussel farmers like Rommel Escarial and Norma Calosur questioned the slogan “Navotas, NavotaAs! Itaas ang antas ng buhay Navoteño,” which meant raising the standard of life for the people of Navotas.
According to them, it was rather their blood pressure, frustration, and anger that were being raised as Navotas local government under Mayor John Rey Tiangco remained deaf to the plea of mussel farmers and fisherfolks.
“Hindi marumi ang tahungan, sa katunayan ay ito pa nga ang nakatutulong sa pag-unlad ng karagatan dahil ito ay pinamamahayan ng isda,” said Escarial who is a mussel farmer from Brgy. Sipac Almacen.
[Our mussel farms isn’t dirty, in fact, it’s even helping in the development of the ocean because it’s inhabited by fish]
In a study led by Carbon Containment Lab at the Yale School of the Environment, mussels serve as “ecosystem engineers” and indicators of water quality which helpedin keeping streams and rivers clean by absorbing heavy metals and filtering harmful silt and particulates as they feed and breathe in aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, their shells also provide habitat and nesting sites for many organisms.
“Kami raw ay iligal at ang aming mga tahungan ay basura na kailangan alisin sa karagatan. Ngunit ito ay malinaw na panlilinlang ng LGU. Ang tanging dahilan kung bakit wala at hindi kami binibigyan ng permit kahit kumpleto kami sa requirements,” Escarial lamented.
[They claim that we are illegal and that our mussel farms are waste that needs to be removed from the ocean. But this is clearly a deception by the LGU. The only reason why we are not given permits even though we have complete requirements]
On March 22, mussel farmers decried Mayor Tiangco who said that his office could not do anything to stop the demolition of mussel farms and other fishing structures.
“Nagpatawag po si Mayor ng meeting, bawat isa pong may tahungan ay walang karapatang magpaliwanag, ang sabi iligal pa raw kami. May nagreklamo pa nga. Hindi nalang ako nagsalita dahil iyon lang ang sinasabi ng mayor namin e. Bakit kaya ganoon, siya mismo ang naglugmok sa amin,” said Calosur who is a mussel farmer from Brgy. Navotas West.
[Our Mayor called for a meeting, saying each of us with mussel farms has no right to explain and claiming that we are still illegal. Someone even complained. I didn’t even speak because that’s all our mayor kept saying. Why is it like that? He himself is the one who pushed us into this situation]
According to them, Mayor Tiangco only defended the 650-hectare Navotas Coastal Bay Reclamation Project which hastened the Navotas LGU a sponsor partnership with the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) owned by business tycoon Ramon Ang.
“Ang reklamasyong ito ay walang makikinabang kundi ang malalaking negosyante at mga dayuhan. Ito ang kinahaharap ngayon ng mga mangingisda at magtatahong sa Navotas. Ito po ang tunay na dahilan kung bakit nanganganib ang aming kabuhayan,” said Escarial.
[This reclamation will benefit no one but big business owners and foreigners. This is what mussel farmers and fisherfolk in Navotas are facing now. This is the real reason why our livelihoods are in danger]
The said project is dubbed the Southern Gateway to the New Manila International Airport which is also a project by SMC. Similar to the effects of the reclamation, the aerotropolis construction have resulted to 700 displaced families and ravaged vital habitats and livelihoods in Bulacan coastal communities.
Calosur shared how they had struggled with the coast guard prohibiting them from harvesting their mussels by the time their mussel farms were set to be demolished.
“Sabi ng asawa ko wag kang mag-alala kasi aani tayo sa Mahal na Araw…Pero mabigat sa amin na hindi ko akalain na nag-aani kami at kasabay namin ang backhoe na nagbubunot ng aming mga tahungan. Tapos ang coast guard lumapit sa amin, ang sabi ‘umalis kayo riyan’. Awang awa na po ako sa asawa ko. Ang sabi ng coast guard ay magpaalam daw kay mayor,” she cried.
[My husband said, ‘Don’t worry because we will harvest on Holy Week.’ But it’s too saddening that I didn’t expect we would be harvesting while the backhoe was pulling out our mussel farms. The coast guard even approached us and said to leave the place. I feel so sorry for my husband. The coast guard furthered we should seek permission from the mayor]
Last February, the Navotas LGU issued the notice only to inform mussel farmers that it will push through the demolition regardless of whether it was their harvesting season. By March, over 20 kilometers of fishing structures are dismantled and Calosur’s mussel farms were among the first ones that have been destroyed.
Calosur said that the earnings from their daily mussel harvest were intended for their children’s tuition. She could not believe it would be their last harvest.
“Sa tagal na inalagaan namin ang tahong, noon lang kami nagsimula mag-ani. Dalawang araw lang ang hiningi ko, sa ikalawang araw ay wala na, binunot na,” Calosur said.
[After taking care of the mussels for so long, we only started harvesting recently. I asked for just two days, but on the second day, these were already pulled out]
According to Escarial, several buyers would often purchase mussels at a low cost. He said that buyers they were aware on the woes among mussel farmers that they quickly harvest and sell whatever they could before the backhoe proceeds to destroy their farms.
DEFEND CAMANAVA reiterated to stop the ongoing reclamation and dredging activities in Navotas which caused massive destruction of livelihood, sources of food, and marine habitat.
“Ang hinahangad ng mga kababayan nating Navoteño ay ang kinamulatan nilang kabuhayang pagtatahong. Tunay na umaangat ang galit ng mamamayang Navoteño kay Tiangco na hindi pinakikinggan ang hinaing ng mga mangingisda’t magtatahong. Dahil dito, hinahamon natin si Marcos Jr. na maging totoo sa kanyang mga salita na ipahihinto ang mga reklamasyon na sa katunayan ay nagpapatuloy naman at libo libong mamamayan na ang apektado hindi lamang sa Navotas kung saan maraming mga Pilipino ang umaasa sa yamang dagat mayroon tayo sa Manila Bay,” said Charito Reyes of DEFEND CAMANAVA.
[Our fellow Navoteños aspire for the livelihood they grew up with. Their anger towards Tiangco further escalate as he ignores the grievances of many fishers and shellfish farmers. And so, we challenge Marcos Jr. to keep his words in ceasing all reclamations which are continuing despite affecting thousands of citizens not only in Navotas but also many Filipinos who rely on the rich ocean resources we have in Manila Bay]
Escarial called on his fellow mussel farmers and fisherfolks to participate in the call for genuine conservation and rehabilitation of Manila Bay, and to completely halt all operations of reclamation projects.
“Nananawagan ako sa kapwa ko Navoteño at mangingisda na lumahok sa labang ito. Magsalita at makiisa, oras na para gumising tayo. Dahil sa sistemang pinapairal ng ating mayor na si Tiangco ay hindi aangat kundi lulubog ang mangyayari sa atin,” Escarial said.
[I am calling on my fellow Navoteños and fishers to join this fight. Let us speak up and unite, it is time for us to awaken. Because of the system being enforced by mayor Tiangco, we will not progress but rather we will sink.]
