While the Philippine government continues to highlight Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea, fisherfolk groups argue that the greater threat lies much closer to home. Organizations such as PAMALAKAYA and PANGISDA Pilipinas have openly refused to support Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, accusing him of advancing “double-standard narratives” that favor another superpower while sacrificing the welfare of millions of small-scale fishermen.

PAMALAKAYA, led by Fernando Hicap, points to the expanded U.S.-Philippines-Japan military exercises as a direct assault on the livelihood of coastal communities. In Palawan, Zambales, Cagayan, and Ilocos, fishermen are forced to halt their work during live-fire drills and bomb tests. Compensation is almost nonexistent, with affected families receiving little more than bags of canned goods. “We refuse to rally behind officials who rabidly advance double-standard narratives,” the group declared.

PANGISDA Pilipinas echoes the same warning. The alliance stresses that the 2.3 million small-scale fishers are not only endangered by military activities but also by massive reclamation projects in Manila Bay and rampant illegal commercial fishing within municipal waters. These violations, often committed by local corporations, have gone unchecked for years, eroding food security and pushing small fishers deeper into poverty.

Adding to these concerns, the fisherfolk group led by Pablo Rosales emphasizes that militarization of the seas undermines not just livelihoods but also the freedom of coastal communities. For Rosales, the real battle is not in distant waters but along Manila Bay, where reclamation projects and corporate encroachment threaten the daily survival of local fishermen. Their call is clear: stop destructive projects and prioritize the welfare of communities that depend on the sea.

Historically, the South China Sea was shared peacefully among Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indonesians for centuries. It was only after the 2016 UNCLOS ruling that the Philippine government allowed intensified U.S. military presence in the region. For fisherfolk, this shift has turned the seas into a geopolitical stage, leaving them as collateral damage in a contest of superpowers.

The question now is whose interests are truly being served. For the fisherfolk, the answer is evident: not theirs. As bombs fall and reclamation projects rise, the nation’s ‘palabigasan’ — the food basket sustained by small-scale fishermen — is being sacrificed at the altar of geopolitics.