A GROUP of fishermen has urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stop an aerotropolis project in Bulacan.
The Pamalakaya, a federation of fisherfolks, asked for the stoppage of the entire project after the president vetoed the special economic zone provisions of the San Miguel Corp.'s (SMC) Bulacan Airport City project.
“This will be laudable only if the San Miguel Aerotropolis project will be completely off from any negotiations. And until the displaced fisherfolks and coastal residents are able to return to their community which has been the target of the project," the group stated.
Pamalakaya chair Bobby Roldan said that although Marcos has vetoed the bill creating a special economic zone and freeport within San Miguel Corp.’s Aerotropolis, the project itself has already been enacted into law through Republic Act 11506.
He added that the new administration should scrap the project because of its environmental, social and economic impact.
Marcos can only prove his concern for the environment and the livelihood of fishermen if he will completely scrap all the destructive reclamation projects across the archipelago, according to Roldan.
"We reiterate that reclamation has been proven by many scientists, environmentalists, and fisherfolk ourselves to be catastrophic both to marine biodiversity and socio-economic rights of fishers and coastal residents,” Roldan said.