Pacquiao says fisherfolks displaced by Odette should still have access to the sea for livelihood

Senator Manny Pacquiao. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — While the government must relocate coastal communities in areas ravaged by Typhoon Odette, they should be moved to places where they are not only safe, but can still have access to the sea for their livelihood, presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao said on Monday.

Pacquiao said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is correct to restrict residents in areas hit by Odette from rebuilding their old communities but it should also make sure that their new relocation sites would not deny them their means of livelihood.

Pacquiao added that the government should already learn from the lessons of Odette and the previous super typhoons that caused widespread destruction and loss of lives by rebuilding homes that are already designed to withstand natural calamities including floods, landslides, and heavy winds.

“Naniniwala ako na ang nagsisimula ang maayos na lipunan sa maayos na tahanan. Kaya naman sa halip na basta na lamang tayo magtayo ng relocation, kailangan nating tiyakin na maayos at ligtas ang kanilang malilipatan at hindi sila mawawalan ng kanilang kabuhayan,” he said.

Since 2005, Pacquiao has already built 5 housing subdivisions called Pacman Villages in General Santos City and Sarangani Province and distributed the houses for free. All the Pacman Villages were financed by Pacquiao’s personal funds.

Pacquiao stressed that coastal communities rely on the bounties of the sea for their livelihood and transferring them inland that would make it very difficult for them to make a living would only make life even worse for them.

“Maganda itong layunin ng DENR. Kailangan talaga nating ilipat ang mga nasalanta sa mga mas ligtas na lugar. Ang pakiusap ko lang, yung mga nasa coastal communities ay mailipat sa mga lugar na ligtas ngunit maaari pa rin silang makapangisda. Huwag nating ipagkait ang dagat dahil ito ang bumubuhay sa kanila. Hindi lang ligtas na tirahan ang kailangan nila kundi maayos din na hanapbuhay,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao, who also worked as a hand for fisherfolks in Sarangani in his youth, said that the sea is a source of life for many coastal communities and it sustains them all year round. Denying them access to their livelihood would only force them to go back to their old homes, he added.

He said that instead of moving them further inland, the government should just relocate them to areas that are still accessible to the coastlines and help them build houses that are designed to be disaster-resilient.