A fire in Barangay Zapote III, Bacoor City, Cavite on September 10 displaced over 1,000 families. Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) believes that the fire was intentional as this has happened several times in the past.

The barangay will be affected by the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project. The community is also adjacent to the reclamation project of the local government in partnership with the Frabelle Fishing Corp. Frabelle is a company owned by the current secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Francisco Tiu Laurel.

Since 2017, Pamalakaya has counted at least 15 cases of arson in communities along the coast of Cavite. It said the communities that burned are areas where reclamation and infrastructure projects are being pushed.

“Ask any resident and they will tell you that the successive fires in Bacoor City were intentional. Because like in many communities, arson has become the most effective way to permanently evict people and pave the way for big projects by businessmen and the government,” Ronnel Arambulo, Pamalakaya’s second president and Koalisyong Makabayan senatorial candidate, said.

Burning communities to force residents out is criminal as this endangers the lives of the residents, and completely destroys property they’ve accumulated over the years. Some of the affected families are themselves members and leaders of Pamalakaya-Cavite who actively stand up for the rights of fisherfolk and communities.

“The victims are appealing for any form of help from our countrymen, particularly clothes, food, and materials for rebuilding houses,” Arambulo said. He also joined the residents’ clamor for justice for the victims of the fire.

In March, Makabayan representatives filed a resolution in congress to investigate the series of fires in the coastal communities of Cavite. Pamalakaya-Cavite and Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap-Cavite are asserting the resolution.

“We will continue to investigate the arson of communities in the province of Cavite. There must be justice for the victims, fisherfolk and the poor, by indicting those accountable,” Arambulo stressed.