Group stages fluvial protest vs. no build zone policy

MANILA, Philippines - Members of the fisherfolk group Pamalakaya on Friday staged a 10-boat fluvial protest in Laguna Lake to protest the no-build zone, no-dwelling zone policy imposed in coastal areas in Tacloban City and the rest of Eastern Visayas which were ravaged by supertyphoon Yolanda last year.

The protesters said that the policy will be soon carried out in nine lake towns of Rizal and 18 towns of Laguna and the cities of Taguig and Muntinlupa and would displace 3.9 million people mainly small fishermen, poor farmers and urban poor around the 90,000 hectare lake.

The boats sailed along Binangonan fishport and carried placards containing the demand for the scrapping of no-build zone, no-dwell zone policy and the dismantling of Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure  to allow salt water from Manila Bay to enter Laguna de Bay via the Pasig River.

Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France said the fluvial protest in Laguna Lake is the beginning of a long-running battle against the no-build zone, no-dwell zone policy.

He said more protests against the policy will be staged in different parts of the country this month.

He said protest actions will also be staged in Tacloban City and other coastal towns of Leyte and Eastern Samar, Northern Negros, Northern Cebu, Northern Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz in Panay Island and Palawan in Southern Tagalog region.

"The movement against no-build zone, no-dwell zone policy will spread like wildfire. The people in the coastal communities will continue to expose and oppose this highly unacceptable adventure of the government to deny our fisherfolk the rights to livelihood and decent communities. The government of President Benigno Aquino III has no option but to recall the policy and stop transnational corporations and their local big partners," he said.

The 30-minute fluvial protest was supported by around 100 members of Pamalakaya and Anakpawis partylist.

Pamalakaya said the policy will soon be challenged before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and they will also ask the Supreme Court to impose a temporary restraining order against the Tacloban City council resolution declaring coastal areas as no-build zones.