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Pamalakaya dares Senator Bong Revilla: “Stop father’s Sangley dream”

The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Thursday dared administration senator Ramon “Bong” Revillar Jr. to convince his father former Senator and concurrent chair of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) Ramon Revilla Sr. to stop the reclamation of coastal areas along Manila Bay to give way to the development of Sangley Point as an international logistics hub in Southern Tagalog region.

“We cannot stop this aging and has-been actor-politician from dreaming. He can even dream of a White Christmas in the country, but please not at the expense of small fisherfolk, the poor people and the fragile environment of Manila Bay,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

The senior Revilla had spoke about his dream to develop the Sangley Point in Cavite City as international logistics hub where casinos, hospitals, call centers and recreational centers would be constructed. But before construction of these structures, the PRA has first to reclaim coastal areas in Manila Bay, particularly in the coastal towns of Bacoor, Tanza, Noveleta, Kawit and Cavite City.

“Senator Bong Revilla, as chair of the Senate Committee on Public Works and Highways must listen to the voice of the fisherfolk and the people in general who are affected by this across-the-bay reclamation project of his father to pave way for the transformation of Sangley Point into an international port harbor in the tradition of Hong Kong and Singapore,” Hicap said.

The Pamalakaya leader said the reclamation activities of the PRA will displace not less than 26,000 fishing families along the bay from Bacoor to Cavite City. Hicap said the reclamation will also fast track the “death of Manila Bay” as a major fishing ground in the country.

“Senator Bong Revilla was elected by the people to serve them and he was not elected to serve his father nor the ruling political mafia in Malacañang. He must prove to us that he is a public servant and not willing slave of the old Revilla and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” Hicap added.

Pamalakaya said as chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Public Works and Highways, Senator Revilla can intervene in favor of the collective interest of the people in Cavite. But the militant group noted that Revilla is not doing his assignment to defend the people’s interest against the anti-people development projects of his father and President Arroyo.

The old Revilla, a strong ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the P 200-billion Sangley Point Development Project can lead to various business establishments, and if completed could rival other major international ports in Asia like that in Singapore and Hong Kong and could generate jobs to people of Cavite.

“That’s the biggest pipe dream of a lifetime. The ambitious plans directed by his main benefactor in Malacañang in conspiracy with the business clients of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration to make Cavite as the bastion of bogus industrial and commercial development will practically wipe out, if not place all the people of the province and the Manila Bay environment under the Intensive Care Unit,” Pamalakaya said.

“Please allow us to state the fact that the reclamation of Manila Bay waters did not only pave way for demolition of fishing communities and destruction of livelihood, it also facilitated and enhanced the growth marine cancer in the bay,” Pamalakaya said referring to the 2,000 hectare reclamation project the PRA has envisioned to make Sangley Point a major international seaport and container terminal in Asia.

The ex-senator said the reclamation project is 40 percent completed. If it is finished, it would be able to host additional export processing zones, industrial, commercial, military and tourism facilities. He said the Sangley Point conversion project was a birthday gift to him by President Arroyo.

“What a gift. He is one of the luckiest guys in town having received that P 200-billion project from the most corrupt President his country has ever had,” Pamalakaya said.

Pamalakaya said close to 3 million coastal people in Metro Manila and Cavite are still dependent to fishing as principal source of livelihood, and any move to transform or convert Manila Bay for other purposes like the $15-billion casino project, the Cavite Phase II Coastal Road project and the Sangley Point Development Project will have a killing impact on the livelihood of small fishermen, aside from the fact that they would be demolished from their communities, once construction of support structures and establishments begins.

“From 1992 to 1995, the demolitions of coastal shanties became an everyday ordeal in Pasay Reclamation area. Houses were uprooted on almost day-to-day basis. Small and big time bribery to divide the communities were conducted to facilitate the demolition of coastal communities.

The setting up of casino and resorts, including SM’s Mall of Asia was all in the master plan of the government known as Manila Bay Master Development Plan that officially started during the time of President Ramos and projected to end between 2020 and 2025.

The Pamalakaya leader recalled that 3,500 small fisherfolk in Pasay Reclamation Area and another 3,000 coastal and urban poor families along the coastal shores of Parañaque were evicted by the government of former President Ramos to pave way for the construction of the proposed casino that would make the Philippines the Las Vegas of Asia. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 03:19 | link | comments |
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