Bacoor fishers protest demolition of coastal homes

BACOOR, Cavite — Fisherfolk and coastal residents staged a protest on Monday against a planned demolition of more than 100 houses in Barangay Talaba II, warning the move would displace families and disrupt their livelihood.

The demolition is set for Tuesday as part of a scheduled clearing operation.

Arni Villalon of PAMALAKAYA-Bacoor called the plan unjust, saying the relocation site is far from the sea and offers no viable livelihood for fishers.

“It is unreasonable to remove fishers from the coast and relocate them to a place far from the sea where there is no livelihood,” she said.

Villalon added that the timing of the eviction worsens the situation of already struggling communities.

“It is painful that in the middle of a crisis, they would choose this time to drive us out of our community,” she said.

The group also argued that demolition should not proceed, citing what it described as a suspension of reclamation activities in Manila Bay since 2023.

Despite relocation offers in Naic, affected residents said many continue to return to Bacoor to sustain their daily catch and income.

Protesters vowed to resist the demolition, stressing that development projects should not come at the expense of coastal communities.

“We will stand our ground and protect our community against reclamation and other profit-driven projects,” the group said.