FISHERFOLK in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental say they worry about the status of their income and their lives overall as both climate change and human intervention have lessened their catch.
The Baluarte Fishermen Association led by president Antonio Pagara aired their concerns before the activists organization Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) during a meeting May 29 to celebrate National Fisherfolk Day.
Twenty six years ago, then Philippine President Joseph Estrada declared May 31 of every year as National Fisherfolk Day through Presidential Proclamation 261-2000.
For one, Pagara noted that there are only fewer fish in Tagoloan river ever since a coal-fired power plant was installed there.
PMCJ Mindanao coordinator Pat Pangantihon surmised that fish are avoiding the area because of the high temperature of water coming from the power plant.
The fisherfolk in barangay Baluarte – numbering around a hundred – also cried foul over a 2024 Supreme Court decision permitting commercial fishing within 15 kilometers from municipal waters.
Pagara said they could not compete with commercial vessels whose operators have advanced fishing techniques.
And lastly, the Baluarte fisherfolk are worried of a looming displacement once the Philippine military makes good on their plan to construct a naval base in the area.
Pagara said all fisherfolk in the four barangays of Tagoloan – Baluarte, Casinglot, Gracia and Poblacion – would be affected since the Department of National Defense’s plan is to carve 300 hectares from the four coastal villages to be used in the Philippine Navy facility, expected to be the largest in Mindanao.
For this, the fisherfolk held a coastal protest in the area Friday morning.
Other concerns that the Baluarte fisherfolk have are provision of nets, fingerlings for their pens and fiberglass boats.
PMCJ Misamis Oriental head Lyn Sabellano vowed to deliver their immediate concerns to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for action.
