TACLOBAN CITY — Fishermen in Tacloban City’s Fisherman’s Village are resisting a planned demolition of dozens of houses and other structures along the shoreline, saying they need to stay near their traditional fishing grounds for their livelihood.

The city government said the demolition is necessary to protect the marine resources of Cancabato Bay, which was declared a marine protected and fishery reservation area under an ordinance enacted in 2003.

The city’s Fishery Law Enforcement Team has issued three written notices to affected residents since May 2026.

City officials are enforcing a 2023 ordinance prohibiting illegal structures within the Marine Protected Area of Cancabato Bay and setting 31 August 2026, as the deadline for residents to vacate.

But the fishermen believe the planned demolition is also linked to the near completion of the new Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport terminal, where the presence of shanties could be seen as an eyesore by visitors. The terminal is expected to open in December.

The area was devastated by typhoon "Yolanda" in 2013, after which affected residents were provided houses at a permanent relocation site more than 20 kilometers away. Many, however, continued staying in the village because of their dependence on fishing.

Losanto Castillo, president of the Tacloban Fisherfolks Urban Association, said fishing is the only livelihood many residents know.

He said fishermen rebuilt their houses after "Yolanda" because they could not afford daily transportation between the relocation site and their fishing grounds.

“If constructing houses here is not allowed, they should have told us from the start,” Castillo said.

City Councilor Jerry Uy has backed the residents, urging the city government to suspend the demolition. He said the 2003 ordinance exempts houses that existed before the marine protected area was established.

Uy said fishermen rebuilt the structures after "Yolanda" because they needed places to rest and store their fishing nets, tools and equipment.

“These are not luxury houses or commercial establishments. They are part of the fisherfolk’s means of livelihood,” Uy said.

Fishermen cite projects

The fishermen also pointed to the multibillion-peso Tacloban Causeway and an ongoing reclamation project, saying these have covered seagrass beds with soil and contributed to declining fish catches.

They also cited a recent fish kill near the reclamation area.

The residents maintain that their houses are not the main threat to Cancabato Bay and suspect the airport project is the real reason for the demolition.

“The city wants to hide behind this so-called marine conservation the real reason they want us unseen,” one fisherman said.