10/12/2025
The truth is harder than what the article admits. These government “solutions”(Hatcheries) look good on paper, yet they fail to address the deeper problems that keep our coastal communities poor, neglected, and struggling.
BFAR talks about building crab hatcheries in Catanduanes and later in Sorsogon. It doesnt sound new, but we’ve heard this many times before saying to solve poverty crisis we need to buid infrastructures, farm to market road, road widening or the now famous FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS. If government hatcheries really worked, why do Filipino fish farmers still depend on Indonesia for bangus fingerlings? Yes even government hatcheries get bagus fry from Indonesia. Funny right? Really funny just like flood control projects that get huge budgets every year but show NO IMPACT to Filipinos. Hatcheries easily become slices of pizza pie to be shared amoung officials, sponsored politicians and contractors . IIT IS NOT A GENUINE SUPPORT FOR FISHERS.
The article mentions how SGBM coomunity stopped seawalls and reclamation projects but many other areas are still suffering from harmful construction like in Bagacay, Buenavista, Panganiban, Ariman, Pinontingan, and Balud in Gubat Sorsogon.
Coastal roads, quarrying for landfill, and other big projects destroy mangroves, affected crab movements, and change water flow. These are the real reasons why habitats are collapsing, why flooding worsens, and why storms become more destructive.
Government laws allow these projects without proper consultation with the people who will suffer just the like what happened in Brgy Rizal and Buenavista. The government dont want to see the real problem. and will never look for right solution.
One thing though, Mr. Keso, please do not blame it all to climate change.
The article focuses on rising temperatures and changing seasons, but ignores human-made damage. Heavy rains turn into mud floods not only because of climate change, but because of non-stop quarrying and poorly planned infrastructure.
Meanwhile, farmers and crab growers still have no easy access to technology, cooperatives, or resources that government should have provided LONG AGO!
Fishers livelihood rely on nature from the time human learned how to eat fish. Fishing activity of small fishers will never ever gonna put nature at risk!
Fisherfolk are doing their part to maintain the crab stock in the wild like releasing mother crabs, using old ponds. They help protect natural habitat. They survived inspite of the corrupt government, or maybe because they knew its so corrupt that they cant leave their fate on it.
If the government TRULY wants REAL SUSTAINABILITY, it must change its approach. This means:
1) Community-led and community-owned resource management
2) Strict anti-corruption in all aspects and specially in infrastructure projects
3) Banning destructive quarrying and harmful coastal construction
4) Laws made with the participation of fisherfolk and local communities
5) real investment in education, technology, and funds like a trillion-peso budget for farmers that are transparent and managed by farmers themselves
Hatchery projects are just another photo opt, a band aid solution, a mmoney filler meant for politicians pockets.
Filipinos need action that truly protects both nature and livelihood.
In Gubat’s coastal villages, generations of crab growers are pairing traditional knowledge with community-led conservation, proving that sustainable livelihoods grow strongest where people and nature...
