More than 300 Agoho trees that once lined the shores of San Felipe, Zambales, have been uprooted due to rapid coastal erosion, which a national fishers’ group blamed on ongoing dredging operations in the province.
Fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) said the fallen trees-which served as natural barriers against storm surges and strong winds-were casualties of the ‘massive destruction’ caused by dredging vessels operating off Zambales’ coast.
‘Ganito kalawak ng pinsala ng dredging na pinahihintulutan ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Zambales. Maging ang mga puno na nagsisilbing proteksyon ng mga komunidad sa baybayin ay nabuwal dahil sa pagguho ng mga dalampasigan,’ said PAMALAKAYA Secretary General Salvador France in a statement on Friday.
(This is how extensive the damage caused by dredging-allowed by the local government of Zambales-has become. Even the trees that serve as protection for coastal communities have been uprooted due to shoreline erosion.)
The uprooting, France warned, reduces the area’s natural protection just as Typhoon Uwan threatens to hit northern Luzon.
‘Malinaw na hindi lamang ang kabuhayan ng mga mangingisda at mamamayan sa tabing-dagat ang sinisira ng dredging sa Zambales, kundi maging ang mga natural na proteksyon ng mga komunidad mula sa malalakas na hampas ng alon at iba pang epekto ng kalamidad,’ he said.
(It’s clear that dredging in Zambales is not only destroying the livelihood of fisherfolk and coastal residents, but also the natural barriers that protect communities from strong waves and other impacts of disasters.)
‘Doble pangamba ang kinakaharap ngayon ng mga residente ng San Felipe at karatig-bayan sa inaasahang pagpasok ng malakas na bagyo.’
(Residents of San Felipe and nearby towns now face double the anxiety with the expected arrival of a powerful storm.)
The group urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to investigate the uprooted trees and determine whether the dredging violated the Revised Forestry Code.
Residents and local business owners have similarly blamed the coastal damage-including the destruction of a one-kilometer coastal road-on the dredging operations.
Call to revoke DENR order
In a separate statement issued on November 4, PAMALAKAYA urged Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla to revoke Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 13, series of 2019, which it said legalized massive ‘seabed quarrying’ under the guise of river rehabilitation.
Issued during the Duterte administration, DAO 13 was meant to ‘rationalize’ dredging to clear silted rivers in San Felipe, San Narciso, San Marcelino, and Botolan. But PAMALAKAYA said that instead of river desilting, ‘huge dredging vessels, mostly operated by a Chinese company, have been carrying out seabed quarrying within the municipal waters.’
‘Taliwas sa nakasaad sa DAO 13, hindi rehabilitasyon ng ilog, kundi mapaminsalang dredging ang isinagawa sa mga munisipal na pangisdaan,’ France said. He added that more than 5,000 fisherfolk have lost their livelihood due to pollution, strong underwater vibrations, and the depletion of coastal sand.
Dredging vessels operate just a few meters from the shoreline of San Felipe, Zambales-part of the large-scale extraction that fishers’ group says has worsened erosion and destroyed coastal communities.
As of October, PAMALAKAYA said about 10 dredging vessels were operating only meters from San Felipe’s shore. The group claimed the extracted sand is being transported to the 265-hectare Pasay Harbor reclamation project in Manila Bay-despite the DENR’s earlier suspension of reclamation activities pending a cumulative impact assessment.
‘We demand the DENR to immediately and unconditionally revoke the DAO 13 that provides legal basis for foreign corporations to plunder the marine and fishery resources of Zambales,’ France said.
Worsening coastal damage
In earlier statements, the activist fishers’ group reported that dredging has destroyed houses and coastal roads in San Felipe and nearby towns.
The group said the project-led by the Zambales provincial government with the DENR and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as members of an inter-agency committee-has caused marine degradation, noise pollution, and ‘irreversible ecological impacts.’ A once-sturdy coastal road in San Felipe, Zambales, now lies shattered and half-submerged as erosion worsens along the shoreline. Fishers’ group PAMALAKAYA blames the damage on ongoing dredging operations. (
‘The seabed quarrying does not only threaten the livelihood sources of over 5,000 fisherfolk, it also increases the vulnerability of coastal communities to geological and environmental hazards,’ PAMALAKAYA said.
It stated that it will seek a congressional probe into the environmental and socio-economic damage caused by dredging in Zambales. Former senator and now party-list representative Leila de Lima has likewise urged Malacañang to act on residents’ complaints.
China-led operation
As early as October 24, PAMALAKAYA said the dredging-operated by the China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd.-had continued despite the ‘firm opposition’ of local fishers, residents, and business owners. At least four Chinese dredging vessels were seen operating close to the San Felipe shoreline.
‘Malaon nang tinututulan ng mga mangingisda, residente sa tabing-dagat, at negosyante ang isinasagawang dredging sa San Felipe dahil sa pinsalang dulot nito sa kalikasan, pangisdaan, at mga istruktura sa baybayin,’ PAMALAKAYA national chairperson Fernando Hicap said.
The group reiterated that the Manila Bay reclamation-where the dredged materials are reportedly being sent-remains suspended following the DENR’s impact assessment.
‘All the more reason to stop the dredging operations in Zambales,’ Hicap said, urging the agency to inspect the site and halt all related activities.
PAMALAKAYA said it will continue consulting affected residents to document the full extent of the ecological and livelihood losses caused by the dredging.
TAGS: inqfocus, PAMALAKAYA, Zambales dredging, coastal erosion, San Felipe dredging vessels, ecological damage