Not only Farmers, Fishers too!

In a consultation held in Davao City last April 9, 2016, women, fisherfolks, uban poor, religious leaders and parents as participants exchanged views on the impact of the long drought in Mindanao. Early in April 2016 farmers in North Cotabato held a protest action and blocked the Cotabato-Davao road connection to demand food and urgent subsidy to farmers and communities affected by the long drought in the province.

“We are aware of the protest in Kidapawan City and we felt the demands of the protesters,” shared by Renante Parium, a resident in Tibungco, Davao City who attended the consultation.

“But in this crisis, small fishers also are affected. We live in the coastal area and we have felt the effect of El Nino too. Our fishers got low catch and they need to go farther and stayed longer in the ocean to catch more,” he added.

“Seaweeds farmers in this area also have been crying for failures and losses. As their main source of living, it’s very hard for them. And we are never been considered in the discourses and debates in this El Nino phenomenon. We also suffered much in this crisis. We believe that those small fishers like our community in the country have experienced the same,” Mr Parium continued.

MindanaOne National Chairperson Abulcair Balindong, a member of small fishers’ organization in Lanao del Norte when asked about his views, shared that government agencies and all other state apparatus in responding to the impact of the long drought must wear an inclusive lens. “Fishing communities are also affected by the long dry spell. Without rain, the salination of the sea water is so high and that is not good to seaweed production. We cannot hear nor receive any program and service for our communities in this crisis – fishers from the fresh waters and seas. It is time for the government to make its development framework more inclusive,” Mr Balindong said.

Mr Rufino Gonzaga, second nominee of Partido Manggagawa Partylist joined Mr Balindong in MindanaOne’s call for responsible actors in responding the short and long term needs of the small fishing communities without using such services for their personal and partisan interests. “We must not take advantage of the situation. Services must go beyond self-promotion and partisan preservation,” he expressed.

“We are all affected by this crisis. And we will push for these concerns to the concern agencies even after elections,” Mr Gonzaga added.

MindanaOne, a tirpeople political mass movement for peoples’ rights and welfare have also members from fishing communities in Mindanao and is endorsing and campaigning for Partido Manggagawa Partylist in this May 9, 2016 elections. (MindanaOne. 10 April 2016)