Garbage dumping in Manila Bay hit

A group of fishermen staged a rally in front of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority office yesterday to protest the alleged dumping of garbage into the Manila Bay.

The Kalipunan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda sa Manila Bay (KALMADA) called on MMDA Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. to immediately stop the reported dumping of garbage into the waters as it drastically affects the livelihood of the local fishermen.

In a statement, KALMADA chairperson Arnel Viray claimed that ships carrying garbage have been seen dumping tons of garbage into the sea since November last year.

Viray expressed his suspicion that the garbage may have been part of the load that was supposed to be dumped at Semirara Island in Antique last January.

Namamangka, a Cavite-based fisherfolk organization confirmed the report of KALMADA as it reported several incidents where the fishing nets of the members were lost after being entangled in trash at the bottom of the Manila Bay.

As part of the protest action, around 20 of the KALMADA members delivered bags of garbage to the MMDA head office at Orense, Makati City as part of a symbolic gesture "to return the rubbish to is rightful owners."

Abalos, for his part, said that an investigation into the matter would be conducted immediately. He pointed out that during the dialogue yesterday, the group could not identify the actual parties involved in the alleged incidents.

Abalos said that KALMADA merely claimed that they saw two barges dumping garbage near a fishing ground in Sangley Point, Cavite.

"The MMDA does not believe the illegally dumped solid wastes are from the barges that was supposed to go to Semirara Island," Abalos said.

He stressed that the previous plans to use barges to ship the garbage to Semirara has long been cancelled since the government has decided to take on the segregation, recycling and composting program in solid waste management.

Meanwhile, Quezon representative and People Power Coalition (PPC) senatorial bet Wigberto ‘Bobby’ Tañada yesterday urged the government to immediately investigate reports of waste being dumped into the bay.

In a press statement, Tañada said he also received reports that truckloads of garbage have been dumped into the bay since November last year.

Fishers have reported that a barge and a ship are seen in the area three to five times a day between 8-11 a.m. and dump waste into the waters.

Other fishermen have even lost their nets after getting them entangled in rubbish at the bottom of the sea, Tañada said.

Waste dumping into Manila Bay poses new and greater risks to the health, livelihood, and environment of some 300,000 fishers and their families who depend on the bay for sustenance, Tanada explained.

Tañada called waste dumping in bodies of water a ‘heinous crime’, where the culprits should be heavily punished. ‘There is a need to translate this law into local implementation and effective monitoring so that segregation, composting, recycling and the like would be a priority of every municipality,’ Tañada said.

Tañada also called for the establishment of recycling plants, which could be a source of livelihood for communities, instead of landfill and incineration.

He also held civil society responsible for the pressing garbage problem. "Our ocean’s pollution is aggravated by urban and industrial wastes. There is also a need to educate the business sector to be socially responsible by patronizing and utilizing earth-friendly products."