The protesters as seen through a culvert (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA).
Several fisherfolk in Cebu City are protesting the city government’s ongoing construction of a bridge of culverts connecting the South Road Properties (SRP) to the Inayawan landfill.
The construction prevents even the small non-motorized boats of the fishermen from passing through the channel going to the sea. Close to a hundred fisherfolk held a protest in the construction site on Thursday morning.
Romeo Trazona, president of the Panaghigpong sa Mananagat sa Syudad sa Sugbo (Pamadasu), said they were not consulted by City Hall about the project.
He said they would have opposed it from the beginning since a lot of the fisherfolk from Barangays Cogon Pardo, Inayawan, Bulacao and Mambaling use the channel to go out to sea.
Though there is a different water channel near the LUDO facility, Trazona said it is far for some of the fishermen and during high tide, they cannot pass through since the vertical clearance of the bridge is low.
City Hall wanted to construct the bridge as a new access for garbage trucks to use when dumping garbage into the landfill.
Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. joined the fisherfolk during their protest saying he supports their concern. He also asked why the city is constructing the bridge when they already plan to stop dumping garbage by January 1.