đź“·Fisherfolk leader Ronnel Arambulo
Following the official announcement of the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan (Makabayan) to field a full Senate slate in the 2025 midterm polls, fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (PAMALAKAYA) announced its Senatorial candidate on August 19, Monday.
The proclamation was held in Navotas City, the country’s fishing capital, where more than a thousand fisherfolk are facing the threat of a reclamation project.
Ronnel Arambulo, a local fisherfolk from Laguna de Bay and the current Vice Chairperson of PAMALAKAYA, declared his candidacy for the Senate, to advance the agenda of the fisherfolk sector for sovereign and fishing rights.
Arambulo has been a fisherfolk leader since 2008, advancing the rights and welfare of small fisherfolk, as well as leading grassroots campaigns in defense of coastal communities and fishing grounds against reclamation and all forms of conversion and privatization.
Arambulo is also a staunch champion of Filipino fishing rights within the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ), working alongside the fisherfolk of Zambales and other parts of Central Luzon in demanding foreign superpowers to leave the Philippine waters.
Fisherfolk leaders from Zambales and Manila Bay, along with environmental groups, will endorse the candidacy of Arambulo. Other individuals and groups who will throw support to Arambulo include ACT Teacher’s Party-list Representative France Castro, Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Arlene Brosas, KMU Secretary General Jerome Adonis, Earth Island Institute – Asia Pacific, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP) / Fridays For Future (FFF) – Philippines  and Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC).
Arambulo will be the 5th candidate to run under the Makabayan coalition, following the proclamations of ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro, Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Arlene Brosas, Kilusang Mayo Uno’s Jerome Adonis, and former anti-poverty Czar Liza Masa.
