13/06/2025
Spent a day at sea in Sipac-Almacen with local fisherfolk who had just lost their tahungan (mussel farms)—demolished without warning by the LGU, as part of ongoing reclamation efforts along the Navotas–Manila Bay coastline.
According to residents, there was no proper consultation, no notice—sudden destruction of their tahungan (mussel farms) followed by continuous truckloads of sand burying the community’s only access to their fishing grounds. For generations, families here have lived in deep relationship with the sea. Now, they are being pushed away from it.
The photos show the stark contradictions of this so-called progress: behind the glossy visions of urban development are displaced communities, devastated ecosystems, and centuries-old traditions erased in the name of profit.
Let’s not just see these stories—let’s listen.
Let’s challenge dominant narratives and stand for a future where livelihoods, culture, and nature are protected, not paved over.
