Ahead of National Fisherfolks Day, fisherfolk groups and environmental advocates staged simultaneous protests near Mendiola on Friday, May 30, calling the attention to the ongoing challenges faced by small-scale fishers across the country, particularly the impact of reclamation projects on their livelihoods.
More than 500 fisherfolk from various provinces and cities including Cavite, Laguna, Parañaque, Manila, Navotas, Malabon, Bulacan, Bataan, and Zambales—joined the mobilization.
Some participants marched from España with the intention of reaching Mendiola. However, they were stopped by police at Recto Avenue due to heightened security measures in the area.
The demonstrators expressed strong opposition to reclamation projects that, according to them, are destroying traditional fishing grounds and displacing small fishers.
They also urged the government to revoke the Supreme Court's (SC) resolution allowing commercial and large-scale fishing vessels to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal waters — zones that were originally reserved for small-scale and subsistence fishers, as mandated by the Fisheries Code of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the protest groups faced road closures and heavy police presence, preventing them from getting closer to Mendiola.
Furthermore, Recto Avenue was shut down for over an hour, causing significant traffic congestion during the Friday rush hour.
The protest underscores the growing frustration among fisherfolk communities who feel increasingly marginalized by government policies and private development projects.
