Fishermen groups in the Philippines from Lingayen, Pangasinan, and neighboring Binmaley called on authorities to stop the construction of a seawall along the coastline of the Lingayen Gulf that stretches from Lingayen to Binmaley.
In a letter to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) last week, the fishermen said that the seawall will reduce the area where they can dock their fishing boats.
The fisherfolk also fear that their wooden boats will be smashed into the concrete seawall by huge waves and strong winds during thunderstorms.
And if this happens, the fishermen added, they will lose their only source of livelihood. Five leaders of fishermen’s groups from Lingayen and Binmaley signed the letter.
The seawall project is reportedly aimed at protecting the coastal villages of this town and the capitol complex from flooding and storm surges.
The website of the Department of Public Works and Highways did not list a seawall project from this town to Binmaley, but it listed the “construction/maintenance of flood mitigation structures and drainage systems, construction of flood mitigation facilities at Lingayen-Binmaley, Pangasinan.”
The project cost is P130.14 million, and construction began on June 14, 2023, the website said.
The fishermen also said that with the seawall, the area where they can pull their fishing nets will become smaller.
Some residents here begin their day by fishing using a traditional seine technique locally called kalukor. This is a standard 200-meter-long net deployed by a boat and pulled from the shore strategically by two groups of people holding the ropes until the seine reaches the shore with the catch.
The fishermen clarified that they are not against government projects, especially those that will benefit poor people like them, but they claim that the seawall would bring them more harm than good.
The provincial board has scheduled a public hearing on the seawall project at 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, at the Pangasinan Training Center here.