Fisherfolk and residents of the coastal community of Little Samar St, Barangay San Jose, Navotas City opposed the ongoing Navotas Coastal Dike Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in their area. Residents said this will adversely affect their fishing and livelihood because it will close the only passageway for boats.

“It will risk completely closing the narrow passageway for boats between the existing breakwaters,” Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya)-Navotas president Rommel Escarial said.

The fisherfolk leader asked, “what will happen to the livelihood of small fisherfolk if their boats are provided no passageway?”

The said project’s approval is questionable because the affected fisherfolk were not consulted, he said. “Had we been immediately informed about closing the boat passageway, we would not have allowed it.”

According to Pamalakaya-Navotas, they will take action and protest to the relevant agencies and the local government to make their call known.

The threat to their occupations faced by the Barangay San Jose fisherfolk is similar to the ordeal of thousands of fisherfolk affected by the 650-hectare Navotas Coastal Bay Reclamation Project in the city. The livelihood of fisherfolk and mussel growers was adversely affected last year after the local government forcibly removed the mussel farms to give way to a reclamation project.