Fishers group says DENR chief ‘fails’ at disaster risk reduction

CHANGING BAY Reclamation projects in Manila Bay have altered the landscape in this part of Pasay City. While a lawmaker hailed the resumption of two projects in Pasay, fisherfolk groups said all reclamation projects must be stopped due to their impact on the environment and on their livelihood. —Grig C.Montegrande

MANILA, Philippines – Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga “continuously fails” in disaster risk reduction, according to progressive fishers group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya).

“Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga has no credibility when it comes to disaster risk reduction because so far, DENR has not shown any concrete actions to lessen the impact of disasters,” Pamalakaya vice chair Ronnel Arambulo said in a statement on Tuesday.

“In fact, Yulo-Loyzaga and her agency should be liable for their inability to stop environmentally destructive initiatives like mining, quarrying, at reclamation,” he added.

READ: Fishers’ group hits planned resumption of reclamation projects

READ: Pamalakaya to DENR chief: Stop Manila Bay reclamation projects

This comes as the country hosts the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR).

Pamalakaya last March decried the planned resumption of two reclamation projects along Manila Bay, saying it would bring “the continued destruction of our environment and the livelihoods of thousands of fisherfolk.”

The group has been appealing to Yulo-Loyzaga to stop the projects since she was appointed DENR Secretary in September 2022.

After the onslaught of Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi) last July, senators and environmental organizations blamed the bay reclamation projects for intense flooding in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, and Bataan.

READ: PH still world’s most at-risk to disasters

Last September, the Philippines was ranked first as the country most at risk of disasters brought by climate change.

The APMCDRR started on Monday, October 14, and will end on Friday, October 18, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, with delegates from 69 countries expected in attendance.