ABOUT a hundred fishermen opposed the construction of a new international container port in Talisay City, believing it will affect their livelihood.
They staged their rally during the groundbreaking ceremony for the port that will be built by a private firm, Cebu South Harbor and Container Terminal Services Corp. (CSHCTS), on Tuesday morning, Nov. 20.
The P10-billion project sits beside the city’s fish port in Barangay Tanke.
Juanito Nuñez, 44, said he feared that ships might damage his fishing nets and dwindle his catch in the future. He is a member of Mananagat sa Talisay Pamo Association (Matapa) in Tanke.
Nuñez, who started fishing in the area when he was five years old, said he is not against the project, but he wants CSHCTS to assure Matapa members that the company will provide them with another source of income after the port’s completion.
Rep. Gerald Anthony “Sam-Sam” Gullas (Cebu, 1st) faced the fishermen and assured them that he would address their grievances.
“I will relay their demands to the company. The company really has to take care of the people that will be affected by the international container port,” he said.
Gullas also heard the concerns of another group of fishermen in Barangay San Roque led by Julio Abapo.
Abapo, 53, said they have to sail far from shore because of the port’s construction, but he added that the project’s contractor promised livelihood for them and their children. (Related Story on page 25.) (JOB)