RM awardee on board: Sea row pains ‘Ka Dodoy’
ABOARD MV KAPITAN FELIX OCA—Fisherman and 2021 Ramon Magsaysay (RM) awardee Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon may have lost in the May 12 elections, but his advocacy for fishermen’s rights and the country’s sovereignty remains unwavering.
Ballon, who ran for senator, was one of the 150 people onboard who joined the Atin Ito Coalition’s third mission to the West Philippine Sea (WPS), which featured a peace and solidarity concert in the waters off Pag-Asa (Thitu) Island on Wednesday.
“It breaks our hearts to see these waters without our fishermen because they are afraid of the Chinese Coast Guard’s (CCG) presence,” Ballon told the Inquirer, placing a hand over his heart as he looked at the blue expanse.
He said he continued to hope for a future where Filipino fishermen could again venture out freely in their traditional fishing grounds in the WPS, without fearing for life and limb.
“Our simple dream is to live freely, to sail freely, to fish freely, to go anywhere in our own seas without fear or worry. That is the dream of Ka Dodoy Ballon,” he said.
The 57-year-old fisherman from Zamboanga Sibugay was among the youth and civil society volunteers, fisherfolk, performing artists, Church leaders, and journalists who completed the Atin Ito mission, which started May 26 and formally concluded with Felix Oca’s return to port in Manila on Friday.
In 2021, Ballon was one of the exemplary individuals conferred the Magsaysay award, considered the Asian version of the Nobel Peace Prize, for leading his community in preserving its coastal environment that has been the life source for generations of fishing families.
He ran as independent in the recent Senate race, earning about 2.38 million votes and ranking 42nd among the 66 candidates.
Why take everything?
“One of my motivations for joining this mission is, as (seen by) a fisherman like myself, the bullying by China, by the China Coast Guard here in our own waters, has become extremely dangerous. Our fishermen are losing not just their livelihood but also their rights and their future,” Ballon said.
“It is heartbreaking, it’s infuriating and it’s frustrating,” he said. “The West Philippine Sea is small. China already has the vast South China Sea. Why take the little that we have?”
Being one of the poorest sectors in Philippine society, fishermen are most worried about the continuing Chinese aggression in the WPS, Ballon said.
“I passionately joined this mission because these waters are among the few hopes we have of rising from extreme poverty,” he said.
‘How painful it is’
But with what the CCG is doing, that goal is becoming even harder, Ballon lamented. “I joined this mission not just as a fisherman but as a true Filipino who must stand up for our rights.”
“As fishermen, if we don’t make a catch for the day, we’ll have nothing to eat. Our families go hungry. We cannot send our children to school. That is how painful it is. This is why the plight of fishermen must be given attention,” he added.
Ballon warned that “if we lose the West Philippine Sea, that would lead to extreme hunger and deeper poverty.”
The WPS dispute should be a national issue whether you are from Zamboanga, Quezon, Bicol, or Ilocos, he added.
