{"id":63553,"date":"2024-05-15T17:07:35","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T09:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/?p=63553"},"modified":"2025-03-09T13:04:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-09T05:04:03","slug":"humans-of-the-ocean-pinoy-fisherman-laments-plastic-crisis-impact-on-livelihood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/story\/63553\/humans-of-the-ocean-pinoy-fisherman-laments-plastic-crisis-impact-on-livelihood\/","title":{"rendered":"HUMANS OF THE OCEAN: Pinoy fisherman laments plastic crisis\u2019 impact on livelihood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2018More plastic than fish\u2019 in our waters<\/h2>\n\n
\"\"
Riverside trash accumulated at the shores connected to Manila Bay. The plastic trash is so dense that it forms a walkable moat, making it hard for the fishermen to move their boats. Tangos, Navotas. Photo by Jilson Tiu \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

A lot of things have changed over the decades, for better or worse. For one, reusable and sustainable packaging used to be the norm, before destructive plastics, such as sachets, took over.<\/p>\n\n

With this change came disaster for ordinary Filipinos; we see tons of plastic waste in the streets, our waterways, and even our oceans. This ongoing crisis threatens not only our rich marine biodiversity\u2014which already struggles with climate impacts\u2014but also the livelihood of fisherfolk who rely on these waters, and the Filipinos who depend on the fish they produce.<\/p>\n\n

As the world observes the Month of the Ocean, longtime fisherfolk organizer Pablo Rosales, president of Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Mangingisda (PANGISDA) Pilipinas, reflects on the crisis at hand. A fisherman himself since his youth, Ka<\/em> Pablo used to enjoy a sizable yield from the waters of Manila Bay until plastics choked their source of income.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe used to catch significantly more fish in the ’70s and ’80s, because our waters used to be clean, and there used to be mangroves, coral reefs, and places for fish to lay eggs,\u201d Ka <\/em>Pablo said in Filipino. \u201cNow the catch has drastically been reduced and the fisherfolk are struggling, given the amount of plastic waste in the Manila Bay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
(L-R) Ka Pablo Rosales, Pangisda Pilipinas, and Naderev Sa\u00f1o, Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia are the speakers at a press conference in Manila. Photo by Noel Guevara \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Fisherfolk catch more plastics than fish these days, he said; sachets and other plastic packaging are getting stuck in their nets and even their propellers, forcing them to fish in farther waters. According to a recent GAIA study<\/a>, over 164 million sachets are being used every day in the Philippines or 59.8 billion annually\u2014to put it into perspective, this amount would bury Metro Manila under a foot of waste. The impact of this crisis is also apparent in the fish themselves.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf you open the gut of fish, you would see small plastics, because fish will eat anything their mouth can handle,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen fish eat plastic, people also end up eating plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

With these problems worsening by the day, Ka <\/em>Pablo expressed his and his fellow fisherfolk\u2019s support for strong policies to curb plastic pollution, such as nationwide bans on single-use plastics. He also cited sustainable solutions, such as \u201cgoing back\u201d to the reuse and refill culture the country had before it shifted to a sachet economy.<\/p>\n\n

Most importantly, he hopes corporations will be held to account for their large contributions to the destruction of our oceans, environment, and quality of life for the Filipino fisherfolk.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf the country puts restrictions on corporations and instead advocates for sustainable materials, they will be forced to rethink how they package their products,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n

Asked about how a global plastics treaty could help bring us closer to this goal, he said: \u201cIf corporations or countries primarily producing plastics are leading the discussion, that is problematic for me, as they won\u2019t put restrictions on themselves\u2026 we hope that negotiations [for the treaty] are really about solutions, not about finding ways to defend their [plastic] products.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Ultimately, this crisis will only get worse if the government does not listen to people like Ka <\/em>Pablo, and continue to allow corporations to run roughshod with their plastic production. Greenpeace believes plastic pollution must be addressed at its root\u2014we demand that our government and world leaders cut plastic production, ban single-use plastics, and enact reuse and refill systems in communities.<\/p>\n\n

As oceans sustain all life on Earth\u2014from the planet\u2019s biodiversity, food system, and livelihood\u2014we must do our part to protect our oceans by holding environmental polluters accountable for the destruction they\u2019re causing. Not only will we be able to \u201cdevelop a sustainable and equitable blue economy\u201d as this year\u2019s Month of the Ocean theme says, but also a safer, greener ocean of the future.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPlastic-Free Future\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Together, let’s build a plastic-free future. Join us in our mission to eliminate plastic pollution and create a safer, brighter, plastic-free world for all.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t \n TAKE ACTION\n <\/a>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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