SAN JOSE, Antique – The Funda-Dalipe Fisherfolk Association (FDFFA), Dihon sa ’Raya, Inc., and private citizen Remy G. Muescan have filed a citizen’s suit asking the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Antique to stop the construction of an esplanade along the shoreline of Barangay Funda-Dalipe.
The fisherfolk are seeking the issuance of a writ of continuing mandamus to restore ecological balance in a section of the Department of Public Works and Highway’s (DPWH) P1.5-billion Esplanade/Seawall Project in Funda-Dalipe.
The complainants alleged that the project has buried turtle nesting grounds, silted coral reefs, and was constructed without the required environmental permits.
Part of the project’s funding was allegedly sourced from the DPWH flood-control program.
The fisherfolk have also brought to task contractor J.E. Tico Construction Co., the Environmental Management Bureau, and the Municipal government of San Jose de Buenavista for purportedly violating the Philippine Water Code, the EIS System Law (Presidential Decree 1586), and the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
The 520-meter extension allegedly encroaches on protected foreshore lands and the 20-meter no-build salvage easement. This has “endangered Hawksbill, Olive Ridley and Green Sea Turtle nests, and smothered coral reefs within the Funda-Dalipe Marine Protected Area (MPA),” according to the complainants.
“This esplanade has prevented us from safely mooring our boats,” said FDFFA president Rowel N. Saldajeno, a fisherman and Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC) Chair. “Our turtles are being crushed, our reefs suffocated, and our livelihoods destroyed. We fisherfolk demand justice before Antique’s seas become graveyards.”
Lawyer Rolly Pedrina, president of Dihon sa ’Raya, Inc., added: “This is not isolated — illegal coastal reclamations and seawalls are rampant nationwide. The San Jose case is a beacon: Restore our coasts, hold the powerful accountable, and rebuild with nature, not against it.”/PN
