More than 180,000 fishers on Panay island are being battered today by the Habagat (southwest monsoon) and sigwada (storm surge or heavy rainfall) as they prepare for the coming El Niño phenomenon. According to the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya, or National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organizations in the Philippines), these consecutive disasters will severely damage the livelihoods of small fisherfolk and coastal residents on the island.

The sigwada’s large waves and strong gusts of wind prevent fishers from going out to sea, usually from June to September. El Niño is expected to intensify in August.

“Habagat and El Niño very rarely occur together. El Niño is expected to amplify the rains brought by Habagat,” Pamalakaya-Panay spokesperson Nathaniel Bagaut said.

He said the phenomenon’s impact will be more destructive for fishing communities and will make the seas more dangerous. “This means more than four months of uncertainty for many fishers who rely on the seas (for their livelihoods),” Bagaut added.

Pamalakaya already called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) even before the Habagat season to immediately release and distribute financial aid to fisherfolk. The group warned the successive disasters will certainly decrease fish catch and production in the second half of the year.

“Fuel price spikes already hit fisherfolk’s livelihoods earlier this year; now they face a natural calamity compounded by government neglect,” Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap said.

The Marcos regime is heavily accountable to the fishers but has no concrete measures to support fishers affected by the crisis and natural disasters. Its “no sail zone” policy during the recent US war games in the country has also worsened the sector’s suffering.