Fisherfolk led by Pamalakaya and and Anakdagat-Kabataang Mandaragat held fresh protests along the Manila Bay coast on November 17. They joined the people’s intensifying call against the Marcos regime’s corruption and environmental plunder.

Pamalakaya holds accountable the corrupt and plundering officials in government, including Ferdinand Marcos Jr himself. It reinforces this call in the light of former Representative Zaldy Co’s revelation about Marcos’s role in widespread corruption in government.

“No exemption. President Marcos himself must undergo a thorough investigation,” Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap said. Hicap said Marcos is clearly involved because he personally drafted the national budget and inserted anomalous projects into it.

At the same time, the fisherfolk group condemned the Duterte camp for “taking advantage of the issue and situation to advance its own political agenda.” According to Pamalakaya, Vice President Sara Duterte herself face calls for accountability for widespread corruption and the misuse of millions in confidential funds.

“Marcos and Duterte must be jointly investigated and held accountable for the systematic plunder of public funds,” said Hicap.

Aside from reports of corruption in government funds, Pamalakaya also pushes for an investigation into large projects that damage the environment and natural resources. These include reclamation projects, sea quarrying, and mining.

The group criticized government agencies for what it described as “easy processes” that allow companies and environmentally destructive operations to obtain permits. “These unchecked approvals of profit-driven and destructive projects reek of anomaly,” Hicap said.

Hicap added that corrupt government officials, especially those in agencies related to the environment, must be investigated. In Manila Bay alone, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued environmental compliance certificates for at least 13 reclamation projects and 10 quarrying operations.