FISHERFOLK group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) decried a scheduled "no-sail zone" off Zambales for the upcoming Philippines-United States Bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (BMCA) from May 28 to 30.
Pamalakaya National Chairman Fernando Hicap said military exercises offer no benefit to Filipinos, but instead disrupt the livelihoods of local fisherfolk.
"Disruptions to livelihoods result from US military exercises, which offer no benefit for Filipinos," he said.
Hicap also argued that military exercises escalate territorial tensions, leaving fisherfolk caught in the middle.
He also accused the Marcos administration of sacrificing local fishing rights for the US' geopolitical interests, adding that this is not what our local fisherfolk need.
“How can the Marcos administration sacrifice the fishing rights of Filipinos on the altar of the US geopolitical agenda? Defense interoperability isn't an immediate concern for us and doesn't affect our daily lives.
"In these trying times, the last thing the Filipino fishers need is foreign troops conducting amphibious landing exercises in our fishing waters and coastal communities,” he said.
This marks the second recent fishing restriction in Zambales, following the no-sail zone policy imposed during the Balikatan exercises from April 20 to May 8.
Pamalakaya said the previous no-sail zone implementation affected at least 4,840 fisherfolk in Subic, Zambales.
The upcoming joint maritime exercise is expected to affect 11 coastal towns of Zambales, including Sta. Cruz, Palauig, Candelaria, Masinloc, Iba, San Antonio, Botolan, Cabangan, San Felipe, San Narciso, and Subic.