Protest Highlights Plight of Fisherfolk on Fisheries Day

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By Juliane Judilla

The progressive fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) joined various associations and multi-sectoral groups to stage a protest outside the Iloilo Provincial Capitol on Tuesday in observance of World Fisheries Day.

“In commemoration of World Fisheries Day, fishers and their communities amplify the struggle for the advancement of the fisheries sector and the livelihood of the fishers who sustain it,” said Melbert Balbon, spokesperson of PAMALAKAYA-Panay.

The group emphasized the lack of sufficient government aid for fisherfolk in coastal communities, particularly during calamities or state-imposed fishing bans.

“To temporarily meet daily expenses, fishers and others dependent on fishing, such as fish vendors, are forced to seek jobs outside their communities. Most end up working as laborers, construction workers, carpenters, or household helpers.

“On the other hand, we continue to push and demand subsidies, alternative livelihoods, and genuine reforms in the fisheries sector,” Balbon added.

Balbon also condemned ongoing civil-military operations in coastal communities in northern Iloilo.

He cited the recent harassment of fisherfolk in Santiago, Barotac Viejo, after police attempted to arrest 70-year-old fisherman Victorino Vergara, a member of the Asosasyon sang Magagmay nga Mangingisda (AMMS), on November 20.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reportedly initiated the arrest, claiming Vergara needed to “clear his name.”

However, barangay officials asserted there was no valid reason for the arrest.

Since August, Barangay Santiago in Barotac Viejo has been under heightened civil-military operations.

PAMALAKAYA noted that Vergara is among many members of fisheries and farmers’ associations in Panay allegedly targeted by police and military for exercising their right to organize and associate.