Malacañang “ought to do a Boracay” on Laguna Lake and Manila Bay, which are both rotting fast due to unrestrained human activity, Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza said Sunday.
“Fish prices have gone up in Metro Manila partly due to the rapid degradation of our municipal waters. Even subsistence fisherfolk can no longer catch enough fish to feed their families,” said Atienza.
Atienza’s remarks came amid reports that the price of “galunggong” (round scad) has surged to as high as P180 per kilo in wet markets around Metro Manila.
In a bid to stabilize the price of the widely-consumed fish variety, the Department of Agriculture issued an administrative order last week permitting the importation of 17 million kilos of galunggong for direct sale to wet markets.
“Actually, it is not just the price of galunggong that has gone up. We had the wet markets surveyed, and the prices of practically all fish varieties have gone up by at least P20 per kilo compared to a week ago,” Atienza said.
“If Malacañang can strong-arm the environmental renewal of Boracay, surely it can also do the same to Laguna Lake and Manila Bay,” he added.
Atienza blamed illegal fish cages, industrial waste, untreated sewage and unchecked land reclamation for the decay of the waters around Metro Manila.
“Aquatic life in our municipal waters is being suffocated. This is why we have fish kills or mass die-offs everywhere,” Atienza said.