📸: PAMALAKAYA / FB
Militant fishers’ group PAMALAKAYA filed a formal complaint with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Tuesday over alleged “coordinated harassment” by government authorities against small fisherfolk in Manila Bay.
In a letter to CHR Chair Atty. Richard Palpal-latoc, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas urged a prompt investigation into continuous surveillance, profiling, and coercion.
The group accused individuals identifying as personnel from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) of targeting local leaders who are actively campaigning against seabed quarrying and reclamation projects in Cavite and Navotas.
According to the complaint, local members endured unannounced visitations, surveillance, and pressure to join a “fake surrender program.”
Unknown individuals also repeatedly messaged members seeking organizational information in exchange for financial assistance.
PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson Fernando Hicap condemned the actions, stating that the intimidation directly undermines the fishing sector’s environmental preservation efforts.
Hicap called on the CHR to dispatch investigators immediately and demanded that the OPAPRU explain why it is targeting fishers defending their socio-economic and environmental rights. # (ZIA LUNA)
