Pity the Poor Fisherfolk
Every time I see Macajalar Bay, I remember lines of a beautiful poem which begins with, “Rage, rage, rage, against the dying of the light . . .’ Deep within, I feel the pain and the anger not because of the dying of the light but in the impending death of an ecosystem whose beauty is both awesome and humbling. For centuries, the beautiful bay has been so spectacular, oozing with the beauty of nature that brings ecstasy to travelers from Bukidnon and Lanao provinces passing for hours hills and mountains, then would know that they are nearing the City of Golden Friendship as they would amazingly look down below the blue sea. Indeed, there is no greater grandeur sight on earth than to be welcomed by a wonderful ecosystem, manifesting its stillness, surrounded by coastal communities whose thousands of fishing families thrive well out of fishing.
Having worked with the fishing communities for ten years as Chief Executive Officer of a non-government organization in the 90’s, I remember those sleepless nights that I shared with cooperative fisherfolk leaders in conducting nightly seaborne patrols to catch illegal fishers especially 100-tonner commercial fishing boats that were making gargantuan amount of money at the expense of small fisherfolk. Yes, the grandeur that was Macajalar Bay spoke well for itself. But that same grandeur was fast disappearing as it underwent progressive state of impairment and with it, the marginalization of the coastal populace. Unlike before in the 60’s when fish would literally jump into their “bancas,” fish can hardly be caught now. Why? What are the fatal blows that caused the death of this once mighty ecosystem?
First is industrial pollution as the bay has been treated as a waste pit. Chemical wastes from the surrounding industries and factories were dumped into the bay. These wastes poison sea life and even entered food chains.
Another silent killer are the toxic chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides heavily used in the thousands of hectares in the plantations and farms. These non-biodegradable, petroleum-based agricultural inputs are washed from soil into rivers and into the sea. Worse, we strongly suspect that the water table may have already been contaminated by these toxic chemicals. In fact, one scientist wrote an article, “Drink Now, Die Later,” as he fears that our drinking water may may not be that safe anymore.
The bay is also a victim of soil erosion and siltation. What men do in the uplands affects the life in the sea. Because trees were cut, soil has been eroding that destroys coral reefs as well as our mangroves. The illegal mining activities including hydraulics have worsened the condition of the bay. What the fishing communities are experiencing in Macajalar Bay are now true to other major bays in the country. In fact, of the 13 major bays in the Philippines, 10 are already biologically dead, to the detriment of coastal communities, now living in hunger and extreme poverty.
Yes, our fishing communities have now become the poorest of the poor as they have painfully witnessed the fading away of the fisheries and aquatic resources in an archipelago that was once described by Dr. Kent Carpenter, the President of the United Nations-Food Agricultural Organization (UN-FAO) as the “Center of the center of marine life on earth.” One of the spectacular features of our bays are the amazing coral reefs which are the spawning ground of fish but we have lost our coral reefs already.
As you know, “Of all the environmental global crisis we are encountering now,” a renowned climate advocate and journalist named Eric Holthaus in his book, The Future Earth, said that, “the most devastating so far has been the loss of a quarter of the world’s coral reefs. The loss of the coral reefs means we could already be entering an era of mass extinction with entire ecosystems being snuffed out almost overnight. And if we lose the reefs, we lose one of the anchors of life on earth. Coral reefs are more important than many people realize: taking up just 0.2 of the oceans, they support about a quarter of all marine species and provide support to livelihoods of 500 million people. But beyond that, healthy reefs are stunningly beautiful. They are part of what makes life on Earth so special.”
That “Center of the center of marine life on earth” adds to what our country was before, described as a “paradise,” so rich in biodiversity not only above the ground. Below are 72 kinds of top-quality minerals. But all these years, massive extractivisim and exploitation has transformed a paradise into hell. Indeed, who controls, who decides, who benefits? Only a few oligarchs and foreign investors, in cahoots with powers-that-be who have sacrificed the people and the environment for their opportunity to continue making enormous amounts of money.
Indeed, it is the sufferings of the many which pay for the luxuries of a few. As my tribute to Macajalar Bay so rich before particularly on coral reefs but now have vanished, including all the bays hat have been sacrificed to the altar of greed and profit to advance growth-at-all-cost development paradigm, may I share this poem:
Will the bay which reign to give life, be now devoid of breath? The bay has always been like a mother to us as we bountifully reaped its blessings. Fishing lies at the heart of our culture, the fisherfolk its careful guardians. The bay is now facing crisis, representing a danger to coastal people. Soon we will see a time when the unavoidable reality of hunger will stalk the earth again. Then, how heavily will the meaning of a single fish weigh in our human heart. Pray sons and daughters of Mother Earth that the bay be saved!!!!
Yes, with sense of urgency, we must ardently pray to save Mother Earth from an impending doom, described by concerned climate experts worldwide as already in the precipice of extinction. We must pray especially to save our beloved Macajalar Bay! But religion should not just be limited to prayers. Ethical action is more important than prayer. It is in this context that we in Task Force Macajalar, an environmental movement for peace, justice and sustainability, are calling for ethical action to liberate our coastal communities from hunger and extreme poverty. We have programmed massive planting of mangroves and the protection of our coral reefs which are being damaged due to building of massive structures like a bodega of Gaisano which had been constructed inside the seashore at Molugan, El Salvador. May we ask DENR: Why have you allowed that? In the same seashore, some 100 fisherfolk families are being evicted and charged in court in utter disregard of their prior right by descendants of a former powerful logger, brandishing a title. Again, may we ask DENR, can a seashore be a subject of titling?
The thousands of ecological people members of Task Force Macajalar are preparing for massive mobilization to protect the environment and the basic human rights of the thousands of coastal families in Macajalar Bay, from Sulawin Point in Laguindigan to Punta Gorda in Balingasag. If before, we took direct actions to stage human barricades against logging and against industrial pollution, we cannot allow that the poor and the oppressed suffer for the opportunity of a few to continue making enormous profit in cahoots with powers-that-be! Let us do what we can to regenerate Macajalar Bay. JOIN US – all for God’s greater glory!
