CCLEC ‘to compensate’ Cordova fishermen affected by causeway construction

The filling activities for the causeway in Cordova town has prevented some 387 fisherfolks from two barangays to fish as their passage to the sea has been temporarily blocked. CCLEC said it will compensate the affected fishermen. | Contributed Photo/CCLEC

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The 387 fisherfolks from Barangays Bangbang and San Miguel in Cordova town will receive compensation for the temporary stoppage of their activities due to the ongoing construction of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

CCLEX is the third bridge connecting mainland Cebu and Mactan Island through Cebu City and Cordova.

In a dialogue with the municipal government of Cordova and the fisherfolk leaders in the two barangays, the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) assured that they will compensate the fishermen affected by the bridge construction.

At present, the fishermen from Bangbang and San Miguel could not set out to the sea to fish because the filling activities for the causeway segment of the CCLEX have caused their passage to be temporarily blocked.

“CCLEX communication and stakeholder management manager Jasmine Ginete Suma-oy assured during a dialogue with Cordova Mayor Teche Sitoy-Cho and representatives of the Municipal Fisheries Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARM-C), Pundok sa Pobreng Mananagat sa Bangbang and the fishermen leaders of Barangay San Miguel on Monday, July 13, 2020 that CCLEC will compensate the fishermen’s income during this period,” the Cordova LGU said in an update on Tuesday, July 14.

Quoting Suma-oy, the LGU said CCLEC  will provide one 50-kilo sack of rice for each of the 387 fishermen and additional cash assistance.

Last March, fisherfolks in Cebu City also raised the concern that they were not apprised of the current reclamation of a portion of the sea near the LUDO vicinity for the third bridge’s construction

Read: CCLEC to Cebu City fishermen: Third bridge construction won’t affect livelihood

The causeway that has caused the temporary blockage on the fishermen’s livelihoods is part of the 8.5-kilometer CCLEX project.

According to CCLEC, the overall Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract of the third bridge project is at least at 56.86 percent as of April 30, 2020. The construction phase, on the other hand, is at  42.04 percent.

The CCLEX, expected to open in 2021, will have two lanes in each direction and ramps that will connect the main bridge to the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) and a viaduct that levels down to a causeway in Barangay Pilipog in Cordova. / dcb