OBANDO, Bulacan — Fisherfolk groups staged a coastal protest in Barangay Binuangan here on Monday, September 7, to oppose reclamation projects and other coastal developments they said have reduced their traditional fishing grounds in Manila Bay.

Members of the activist fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) joined local fishers from Samahan ng Mandaragat ng Bulacan (SAMA-Bulacan) in the protest.

The groups said reclamation and coastal development projects have limited access to fishing areas, forcing small-scale fishers to compete for space in rivers and travel farther from their communities to catch fish.

“We are experiencing increasing difficulty in sustaining our families as our catch and income decline,” PAMALAKAYA Vice Chairperson Ronnel Atambulo said.

Atambulo said fishing has become more difficult during adverse weather conditions, including strong waves brought by the southwest monsoon, locally known as Habagat. He said many fishers continue to go to sea despite the risks because fishing remains their primary source of livelihood.

The protest centered on an approximately 36-hectare fishpond in Binuangan, which the groups said is among more than 600 hectares of fishpond areas in Bulakan and Obando acquired by San Miguel Corporation as part of its 2,500-hectare New Manila International Airport project.

SAMA-Bulacan said the fishpond areas have remained idle while small-scale fishers continue to lose access to fishing grounds.

The groups called for the productive use of idle fishponds for the benefit of local fishing communities and urged authorities to halt reclamation projects they said threaten fisherfolk livelihoods and coastal ecosystems in Manila Bay.

PAMALAKAYA also renewed its call for a stop to reclamation and sand dredging activities in the bay.

📸 PAMALAKAYA Pilipinas