MANILA: Around 500 residents, farmers and fisherfolk in Bulacan, Central Luzon on Monday (Aug 31) waded through floodwaters to protest corruption in “flood-control projects.”
They are also opposing the reclamation initiative that reportedly “worsened” the flooding in the province north of Metro Manila.
The flooding in Bulacan—known as one of the most flood-prone areas in the country—as well as in other provinces, is caused by the south-west monsoon, or “habagat,” which is being enhanced by Tropical Depression Pilandok.
Led by anti-corruption alliance Kilos Bulacan, members of fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and rural-based group Anakpawis marched along the City of Malolos to hold the protest this Monday.
Their action coincides with National Heroes’ Day.
According to KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos, also a Malolos resident, the province’s residents “have long endured the repeated flooding caused by these useless, anomalous flood-control projects.”
“While corrupt officials and big corporations plunder the public funds and our environment, ordinary people suffer,” Ramos emphasised in a statement.
“We demand justice in the form of genuine mitigation measures, accountability and appropriate compensation for this systematic disaster that caused unmeasurable losses,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Pamalakaya Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo noted that the reclamation project New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Barangay Taliptip, Bulakan, Bulacan, has led to “critical risks of flooding and subsidence, threatening its long-term viability.”
Pamalakaya cited a study by non-government organisation Global Witness, which warns that “rising sea levels and storm surges could render the airport unusable within decades.”
The group also pointed out that the 2,500-hectare project displaced almost 1,000 fishing families in Barangay Taliptip and uprooted over 600 mangrove trees.
“The protest launched by residents, farmers and fishermen in Bulacan is timely. We once again call for justice and accountability for all those involved in the anomalous and botched flood control, as well as the widespread plunder of nature that is submerging communities,” Arambulo remarked.
Echoing these sentiments, Anakpawis Coordinator Glo Fernandez urged the Bulacan provincial government to heed their constituents’ call for an “immediate solution” against flooding.
“It has been more than a year since the anomaly in flood control broke out. But until now, many sectors remain vulnerable to flooding,” said Fernandez.
“Both politicians involved in the anomalous flood control and the big corporations that destroyed the environment must be held accountable,” he stressed. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
