The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (National Strength of the Philippine Fisherfolk Movement, or Pamalakaya) and the pro-environment group Save Laguna Lake Movement (SLLM) launched a fluvial parade in Laguna de Bay near Muntinlupa City on May 31. They called for the scrapping of the destructive Laguna Lake Roadshore Network Project (LLRNP) and the 2,000-hectare floating solar power project in Laguna de Bay.

According to both groups, the said projects will displace thousands of fisherfolk and residents of the cities of Muntinlupa, Taguig, and those in the southern part of Laguna de Bay.

The LLRNP will lay out a 37.4-kilometer expressway on the lake embankment. The road will start in Lower Bicutan, Taguig City and end in Calamba City, Laguna. In addition, 6.1 kilometers of “connecting roads” and 7.3 kilometers of “interchange road” and “slip road” will also be built. The project will cost ₱174.3 billion with loans funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

In June 2024, the Department of Public Works and Highways reported that the detailed design of the LLRNP was already 97% complete. Last year, the Marcos regime also met with the Export-Import Bank of Korea, a partner of the ADB, which will fund a portion of the project (a 7.94-kilometer road from Lower Bicutan to Alabang).

Meanwhile, the Laguna Lake Floating Solar Project is being pushed under the guise of creating “renewable” or clean energy. The installation of solar panels will cover 2,000 hectares of the lake in the areas of Calamba, Santa Rosa, and Cabuyao cities, and the towns of Bay and Victoria. This will deprive livelihood and adversely affect an estimated 10,000 fisherfolk and other residents who depend on the lake.

The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) awarded contracts for the construction of solar panels to AC Energy Corporation of the Ayalas (800 hectares), the partnership of SunAsia Energy Inc and Blueleaf Energy (1,000 hectares), and the Singaporean company Vena Energy (200 hectares). The companies estimate that these will generate a total of 2.57 gigawatts of electricity.

In June 2024, the Department of Energy granted SunAsia ten 25-year contracts for its operations. The company said it will start construction of the project next year and will open for commercial operation in 2026.

“On this national day of fisherfolk, we register anew our opposition to privatization projects in Laguna de Bay such as the LLRN and floating solar power,” SLLM’s Chris Baisa said. He added that they see no benefit from these projects for fisherfolk, only harm and violations of their right to livelihood.

Their call, and that of the fisherfolk, to the Marcos regime is for the full rehabilitation of the lake to restore its former vitality as a fishing ground, not its further destruction.