Fisherfolk members of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) protested along the shore of Bacoor City on June 24 to oppose the threat to demolish their “floating houses.” In Bacoor City, more than 100 families face eviction under the demolition ordered by the local government led by Mayor Strike Revilla.

According to Pamalakaya, the demolition threat is related to the planned 420-hectare reclamation project of Frabelle Fishing Corporation and the local government of Bacoor City. Frabelle is a company owned by the family of Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr, the current Department of Agriculture secretary.

“Our members and coastal residents are determined to defend their community, maintaining that there should be no demolition, as reclamation projects in Manila Bay are supposed to be under suspension,” Pamalakaya-Cavite spokesperson Aries Soledad said.

Residents living in the floating houses are those who were displaced by a series of fires in Bacoor City since last year, which they also suspect were deliberately set to drive them out. Soledad added that many residents were relocated to distant areas after the fires, where they have no source of livelihood.

He further shared that the local government did not conduct any consultation regarding the planned demolition of the floating huts. “The Bacoor LGU under the Revilla clan and Agriculture Secretary Tiu-Laurel Jr, whose family owns the Frabelle Fishing Corp., are both accountable if the demolition pushes through,” Soledad said.

Pamalakaya urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to uphold the findings of its own study on the implementation of reclamation in Manila Bay. The study stated that reclamation projects are harmful to the marine ecosystem, the environment, and the people’s livelihood.