Gas projects destroy the way of life in Batangas fishing communities.
BATANGAS, Philippines – Fishing used to be the main livelihood of residents in Ilijan, a coastal barangay in southern Batangas province. That was until two decades ago when a natural gas-fired power plant began operations.
Raymundo pointed out the irony: Right outside their home in Batangas City is a portion of the world’s most biodiverse marine corridors, the Verde Island Passage, also known as the “Amazon” of the oceans, yet they were getting their fish from elsewhere.FISHERS OF ILIJAN. Raymundo Cepillo and his cousin Juan are two of the remaining 19 fishers in Barangay Ilijan, Batangas City.
In an email to PCIJ, First Gen corporate communications head Ricky Carandang said the Lopez family-owned power producer was “open to discussing any specific concerns” with affected residents, adding that the company held quarterly information, education, and communication sessions with the community.
Kepco, the proponent of the existing Ilijan Power Plant, stated in its environmental impact statement submitted to the environment department in 1998 that “temporary and minor disruption of fishing activities” could be anticipated during the construction. These are apart from the exclusion zone of the adjacent EERI power plant bordering Ilijan and Dela Paz villages, which extends 20 meters from the shoreline to the sea and about 225 meters parallel to the shore. According to its EIS, this exclusion zone will enclose the intake and outfall pipelines of the cooling water system, the pier, and the jetty.,” said Nanding Daquis, who leads the Ilijan fisherfolk association.
While Godoy admitted that the restricted areas were good fishing grounds, he chided fishers for demanding access to the perimeter. Open ‘yung Batangas Bay for fishing. Tapos puwede pa silang pumunta beyond that, puwede pa silang pumunta sa may dagat papuntang Mindoro…. Ang gusto kasi nila, gusto nilang mangisda dito lang sa may tabi. Hindi nga puwede kasi nga restricted nga ‘yung areaBut longer fishing trips meant more fuel expenses, which the fishers might not even recoup with their catch.
LABOR. Residents of host communities are prioritized in employment opportunities of gas projects. However, the work offered is typically short-term manual labor. Photos by Larry Monserate PiojoIsa sa source ‘yun ng hanapbuhay pero di naman stable diyan eh, dahil pag [construction phase lang]. Pagkatapos ng ganyan, nag-abroad na silaBy the time operations begin, facilities would hire employees, such as engineers, from outside the village for specialized work, said barangay secretary Nellie Bool.
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