Group hits renegotiation of P18-billion Laguna Lake dredging

MANILA, Philippines -  A fisherfolk group yesterday criticized Malacañang for renegotiating the controversial P18.7-billion Laguna Lake dredging project that was scuttled for alleged irregularities and corruption.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said President Aquino reneged on his promise last year to curb corruption and stop the anti-environment and anti-people dredging project funded by the Belgian government through its Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Fernando Hicap of Pamalakaya said Aquino is bringing back the project “at the expense of the peoples’ rights to livelihood, housing and sound environment.”

Malacañang on Tuesday said the government would renegotiate the multi-billion peso project to rehabilitate Laguna Lake with the same Belgian firm whose contract was canceled last December over allegedly questionable design specifications.

The government is also reportedly open to an out-of-court settlement of the P6-billion suit filed by Baggerwerken Decloedt en Zoon (BDC) over the cancellation of the project. 

The change in position was announced after a meeting in Malacañang that discussed the problem arising from the threat of the Belgian firm to sue the Philippine government for P6 billion in damages for cancellation of the contract.

Pamalakaya spokesman Gerry Albert Corpuz said their group would seek international support from various fishermen organizations against the controversial dredging project in Laguna Lake.

Corpuz said the National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates will join the group to ask fellow fisherfolk leaders from other countries to endorse a petition urging Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, to investigate the impact of dredging and road dike projects on the environment and livelihood of Filipino fisherfolk surrounding the 94,000-hectare Laguna lake.

“This assembly of indie fisherfolk organizations and indie fish harvester groups across America, Europe, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific provides us the opportunity to mobilize international opinion and pressure the Aquino government to quit from pushing the anti-people Laguna Lake dredging and dike project,” Corpuz said.

Corpuz added the petition was previously endorsed by farmer leaders from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia during the gathering of Asian Peasant Coalition in Sri Lanka last January.

“We are confident we can mobilize the support of the international community on the struggle of small Filipino fisherfolk against the bogus Laguna Lake rehabilitation project. We have to engage and pressure the UN Food and Agricultural Organization on this particular concern which is a matter of life and death to the environment and the six million people of Laguna de Bay. The UN FAO people are not doing their job,” he said.

While President Aquino canceled the P18.7-billion Laguna Lake Dredging Project on Dec. 5, 2010, Corpuz said the President approved the P200-billion road dike project that will cover 100 kilometers from Taytay, Rizal to Sta. Cruz in Laguna.

The group said the road dike project would displace the 400,000 fishing and urban families around the lake.

“These giant undertakings led to destruction of fishery resources. Fish catch of small fishermen in these areas were significantly reduced from a high of 10 to 15 kilos a day to 1 to 3 kilos a day due to offshore mining activities,” the group said.