LAGUNA LAKE IN DESPAIR: A study on the effects of Laguna lake conversion and privatization to the citizens of Binangonan, Rizal and an assessment of their political consciousness

Abstract

The Philippines is known to being one of the richest marine waters in the world in terms of marine species biodiversity. But despite the bounty of the country’s natural marine resources, its fishing industry is slowly falling into ruins. Many fisherfolks lose their only source of livelihood. Many families are dragged into subsistence fishing. And worse, they are being thrown away from their homes, taking away their lives. This is a scenario very unlikely of a country which possesses unimaginable richness in terms of natural resources. The reason for this is the continued monopoly in the fishing industry and the rampant conversion and privatization of huge fishing grounds in order to extract more profit for the elite class of the country. One of the many fishing sites who are currently facing the threat of conversion is the Laguna de Bay. This study is an exploration of the conversion project being proposed for the Laguna lake and the extent of its effects to the citizens of Binangonan, Rizal, one of the municipalities which will be affected by the said project. This study further aims to measure whether the project will be beneficial to the fishing industry of the country, or it will only hasten its downfall. Finally, this study will investigate how the fishing sector in the municipality view the issue of conversion and privatization of the Laguna lake and why the sectors of Binangonan outside the fishing industry seem to be apathetic amidst all these threats to their food, job, and shelter security.