Quite worth noting is the current claim of activist group Pamalakaya which specifically zeroed in on the government’s thrust into tourism development projects not only in Bicol but the rest of the country. Pamalakaya (National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organization in the Philippines) is an alliance of activist fisherfolk groups in the country.
The alliance expressed concern that projects earmarked or geared towards tourism may ultimately displace thousands of residents, especially those working or make a living in coastal communities.
The group’s vice chairman Salvador France said that “… more people will join the reserve army of labor and the displacement, especially in coastal areas, would be in huge proportions.”
France said the Tourism Development Projects under Aquino’s Public-Private Partnership project and Medium Term Development Plan will displace coastal communities in identified tourism areas like Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Albay and Sorsogon, all Bicol provinces.
He said there would be little jobs to be created and will not resolve unemployment and underemployment in Bicol with 148,000 unemployed and 780,000 underemployed.
Earlier, on April 18, the Department of Budget and Management, it was learned, that in 2014 and 2015, the Aquino government will aggressively push tourism in areas already identified for public investment.
An easy recall here, with the development of the tourism potentials of the Caramoan islands, local fishermen which usually ply their routes in the rich fishing grounds of the area were strictly prohibited already.
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