Fishers’ group claims gov’t agency not pro-environment
The Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) “lacks concern for the environment and the rights of fisherfolk” as shown by its comment on a petition before the Supreme Court that seeks to discontinue all reclamation activities in Manila Bay, a fishers’ group said on Monday.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a statement that its petition was based on the “lived experiences” of fisherfolk who are affected by reclamation and dredging activities in the bay.
The PRA earlier argued that Pamalakaya’s claims were based on “generalized fears and hypothetical scenarios that lack credible, science-based evidence of actual or imminent environmental damage.”
“It seems that officials of the PRA did not carefully study the contents of our petition, which comprehensively laid out our basis for stopping the reclamation and dredging [activities],” said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap.
“More than the excellent studies of scientists and experts, detailed in our petition are the lived experiences of fishers who endure daily the damage left behind by the reclamation and dredging in Manila Bay,” he added.
In December last year, Pamalakaya and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment asked the high court to issue a writ of kalikasan and continuing mandamus to nullify all reclamation permits and environmental compliance certificates of companies involved in Manila Bay reclamation projects.
Pamalakaya said the reclamation works were “clearly illegal and have caused widespread damage to the environment and the livelihoods of fishermen.”
But in a 46-page comment filed on May 20, the PRA asked the high court to dismiss the petition, saying the claims of environmental damage in the bay lacked evidence.
It added that the groups “miserably failed to provide relevant data to support their claims” when it comes to the “supposed adverse effects” of the reclamation activities, adding that the perceived harms were “speculative, hypothetical and circumstantial (if not imaginary).”
