Farmers and fisherfolk unite on World Fisheries Day to confront the twin plunders of resources and public funds
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) stands united with fisherfolk and coastal communities marking World Fisheries Day with renewed calls to defend our seas and farmlands from the deepening plunder of natural resources and the pervasive corruption of public funds. Led by PAMALAKAYA-Pilipinas and joined by coastal residents from Zambales, Cavite, Rizal, and Navotas, alongside farmers and peasant advocates under the bannercall Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot, protesters have gathered at Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), then marched to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for a street conference. KMP echoes their demand for accountability from agencies that have enabled the destruction of marine ecosystems and the displacement of livelihood.
The ongoing seabed quarrying and dredging in Northern Luzon, tied to Manila Bay reclamation, mirror a long-standing pattern of corporate greed actively sanctioned by the state. These operations have torn up fishing grounds, destabilized coastlines, and further weakened the climate resilience of already endangered communities. Instead of protecting the environment and ensuring the welfare of fishers and farmers, the DENR has become instrumental in approving projects that magnify disaster risks: granting environmental permits to at least 13 reclamation ventures in Manila Bay while allowing the continued extraction of sand and sediment from the shores of Zambales and Ilocos Sur.
KMP Chairperson Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos underscored the link between resource plunder and the recent exposés of widespread corruption in government: “Walang pinagkaiba ang pangungulimbat sa likas-yaman at ang pandarambong sa kaban ng bayan – iisa ang ugat, iisa ang nakikinabang, at iisa ang naaapi. Habang pinipiga ng mga korporasyon ang ating karagatan at lupain, pinipiga rin ng mga opisyal ang pondo para sa serbisyong dapat ay para sa mamamayan. Dapat managot ang mga salarin sa doble-dobleng pandarambong na ito.”
This plunder unfolds alongside a trail of corruption in flood-control and infrastructure projects that promise safety but deliver only greater vulnerability. For rural communities, the connection is unmistakable: public funds that should strengthen defenses against calamities are squandered, while state-backed reclamation and mining carve open new ecological wounds. The already faulty and substandard flood control projects crumble like paper against torrential rain and frequent flash floods.
On World Fisheries Day, KMP joins the call to hold the DENR, BFAR and all complicit agencies accountable for the destruction and the corruption they have enabled. Farmers and fisherfolk from all over the country vow to join the Baha Sa Luneta 2.0 on November 30 to further amplify the just calls for accountability and justice for all marginalized sectors.
updates from the peasant movement of the Philippines 