Faced Between Two Giants: Diving Into the Sinking Community of Isla Pamarawan
- Greenline Journal
- Feb 9, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 24, 2024
MALOLOS, BULACAN — Treading on elevated pavements, one can notice the similarities in the houses: fish nets are hanging on their walls, plenty of boats and buckets on every corner, with oysters and dried fish everywhere.
Isla Pamarawan is no different from the other barangays in Malolos—nothing but a small island blessed with abundant seafood resources. But as the night creeps in, the neighborhood becomes one with Manila Bay, submerging them in an ankle-to-knee-deep level of seawater.
Sitting a few kilometers from the bustling city of Manila, Isla Pamarawan, from the term 'paraw' or shrimp, is one of the five coastal island villages in Malolos, Bulacan that is home to roughly 3,000 residents. Being an island, it is abundant in natural resources of the sea—may it be fish, shrimp, crabs, or even sea salt, hence, fishing is the main source of income on the island.
However, the 2050 prediction poses a threat that alongside the coastal areas in Manila, Pamarawan is feared to submerge and completely disappear from the geographical map of Malolos.
The water that once became the loyal companion of the residents and fisherfolks is turning into a foe—one that could entirely consume the island. Thus, this poses a question of who the real culprit is behind the high tides and the sea level rise.
Between Two Giants
According to its residents, the ankle-to-knee-high flooding is the natural consequence of the sea-level rise which became a common scenario on their island, a mundane challenge once the clock strikes 8 o'clock in the evening until dawn of the next day.
Sea level rise is an occurrence caused by global warming, primarily from burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide and heat-trapping gasses, causing oceans to absorb and expand. This allows climate change to pose a significant threat to the Philippines, especially in coastal regions like Manila Bay.
Additionally, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) stressed that the sea level in Metro Manila annually climbed at an average of 8.4 millimeters between 1901 and 2022, almost a thrice leap compared to the global average of 3.4 mm/year.
On the one hand, UP Marine Science Institute Director and oceanographer Dr. Laura David also stated in a 2023 article of Rappler that Bulacan is deemed as an extremely susceptible area due to increasing sea levels.
As a result, this alarming upward trend stretches until the waters surrounding Pamarawan, as it is also part of the fishing communities near Manila Bay.
However, the alarming rate of the sea-level rise is not the sole contributing factor to the deeming doom. The establishment of Mall of Asia Arena (MOA) in 2006 and the ongoing construction of San Miguel Corporation's (SMC) New Manila International Airport (NMIA) along the coast of Bulacan in 2021 as part of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build! Build! Build!” Program added turmoil to the alarming rise of the sea level—a contradiction to its promise of economic progress.
These caused Isla Pamarawan to further face submersion into the water that they treated like their own, leaving its people with no choice but to suffer from its consequences.
Floating on Deep Consequences
Residents and fisherfolks of Pamarawan unveiled how the swift sea-level rise and the construction of the new airport exacerbate the situation of the water that provides them food and livelihood.
Data provided by GeoAnalyticsPh of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) based on the Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan of Malolos in 2022-2023, states that 88% of Pamarawan's population is exposed and affected by high flooding, with their struggle worsening during the months of June, July, and August as storm surges often strike in this quarter.
Emily Tamisajon, a local of the community, shared that normal high tides in their area commonly recede after two to four hours. However, she noticed significant changes in their water when climate change worsened and added that high tide became more active in the barangay when MOA and NMIA were built.
“Nag-high tide [pa rin dito], [pero] talagang hindi na yung kamukha noong araw na konti lang ang tubig. Noon, pag nag 4.3 [meters], lubog na ‘yung baryo [pero] 3.9 [meters] lang ngayon, lubog na,” Tamisajon explained.
Her husband, Modesto Tamisajon Jr., a local fisherman for 45 years, stated that such a situation makes the water polluted, which has a domino effect on his day-to-day fishing. Modesto earns ₱300 to ₱500 a day.
“Minsan, di nakakahuli. Gawa nung, kamukha niyan—hanggang di pa nade-develop ‘yung San Miguel na yan, hindi [kami] makapamalakaya d’yan [at] kung halimbawa na lalalim yung dagat, wala ng katihan, hindi na [kami] makapangisda,” he stated.
Still, they opted to sell a portion of their property to SMC for ₱30,000, and they also receive groceries and 25 kilos of rice from them every two months—an assistance that they deem insufficient for their needs.
Meanwhile, Malolos' Enhanced LCCAP also reported that storm surges and sea level rise primarily impact the coastal ecosystems in Pamarawan and its neighboring coastal barangays, especially the mangroves that serve as a filter from upland projects and act as breeding grounds for marine species. Encroachment and waste disposal also destroy the mangroves along the community.
Not estranged from Tamisajon Jr.’s case is Randy Matito, a resident of Pamarawan, who used to catch crabs for a living. His cousin, Felix Roxas, catches oysters. Both of them affirmed how the airport construction altered their livelihood.
“Malaki na rin ang pinagbago dito, magmula noong naitayo ang San Miguel, yung ginagawang airport diyan. ‘Yung mga mangingisda na pumapalaot, hinuhuli sila, pinagbabawalan, kaya hindi na nakakapagpalaot,” said Matito.
Roxas added in dismayed tone, “Totoo naman 'yung unti-unti na lumulubog [ang Pamarawan]. Dati naman, hindi naman kami lumulubog dito. Simula nung sa San Miguel, kami ay lumulubog na nang lumubog—ang San Miguel talaga ang malaking peste dito.”
They also asserted that when a tropical cyclone hit their barangay, the usual thigh-level flood water brought by high tides turns into a chest-level-deep visitor that seeps into their houses, leaving them with no other choice but to elevate their belongings and appliances. It is also the time they fear the most in their years of living in Pamarawan.
“Bagyo talaga [ang nakakatakot], kasi dito, oras na maglubugan, wala kang tatakbuhan dito, hindi ka makakasakay ng bangka, hindi ka makakasakay ng mga sasakyan, dahil bangka muna bago ka makarating ng dilatan,” Matito stressed.
When asked how they cope with the situation, all of them casually answered, “Sanay na kami rito sa baha at bagyo.”
Houses near the coast are one of the most affected by the rising waters.
The Rise that Rummages
Needing four parallel runways, eight taxiways, and three passenger terminals, NMIA is viewed thrice than the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) capacity. For this reason alone, Randy and Felix believe that their residence is already sold to the corporation.
“Walang magagawa yung mga taga rito kasi wala naman talagang titulo dito eh. Kaya lang, kaming mga taga rito, dito na kami namulat, talagang dito na kami naglakihan—ultimo mga pamilya, dito na sila. Kaya lang eh, wala itong titulo,” said Matito.
In a response written by SMC to Rappler in 2023, informal settlers are given an option to either have a new house and lot or cash assistance—which the majority of the population chose and to claim their compensation, residents need to present their valid identification cards and sign a “release, waiver, quitclaim” form to seal the terms of the agreement.
According to SMC, 364 beneficiaries were identified through a survey, with 277 settlers qualified for financial assistance.
However, Matito debunked that not more than 30 people were given cash assistance and argued that the compensation was downgraded from 150,000 pesos to a quarter chunk of 30,000 pesos, and now suspended to 15,000 pesos per individual.
Even their daily catch was put to a limit, with SMC halting fishing operations in purchased areas.
Matito said, “Yung pagkuha nila (mga mangingisda) ng talaba, may limit na. ‘Pag nasakop na ng San Miguel [‘yung palaisdaan at] kapag kukuha sila roon, sasawayin na sila—pagbabawalan na kayo. Pero dati, ‘yung mga kinukuhanan walang limit, kahit makarating ka sa Malabon.”
Saving from Submerging
On a lighter note, the local government of Malolos is leaping forward to save the coastal community from sinking by elevating the roads in their barangay. According to Malolos’ LCCAP, a ₱30-million budget allotment on land development was approved in 2023 and should be implemented within the decade.
By far, they are already halfway with road elevation since it started in 2023.
“Sa ngayon, ang aming ginagawa ay nagpapataas kami ng kalsada. Sumabay naman 'tong San Miguel, hinuhukay naman ilog kaya nakakabawas din sa high tide. Mabilis bumaba ang tubig,” Armando Ramos, Pamarawan's barangay tanod team leader, shared.
According to Ramos, the road reconstruction will take one more year. He also hopes for the island to have stronger seabeds and seawalls as storm waves usually tend to tremor their land and nearby houses on the shore.
High Risks, High Hopes
Even though the community is slowly sinking, the locals reiterated that Pamarawan is their home, standing adamant that it will still last for longer years and they will not leave it.
Children drain the water from the boat to save it from sinking.
“Baka dito na kami abutan ng kamatayan, pero di rin kami aalis dito kasi dito ‘yung hanapbuhay namin. Mahirap kasi kung titira kami sa dilatang, wala naman kaming trabaho, kamukha ko, hindi ako nakatapos sa pag-aaral,” Tamisajon Jr. voiced out.
Yet, they call for the government's concrete actions for their submerging island.
What they are dealing with today poses risks that jeopardize the entire community of Pamarawan—their home, their residents, and their livelihood, and a few years from now, the island might submerge if immediate measures are not taken.
Thus, this reveals that although natural occurrences play a role in heightening the already increasing problem of sea level rise, the culprit is not climate change alone—but also unsustainable development for the benefit of the few tradings that submerges not just tangible land, but the commonalities of livelihoods already hanging by a thread.
Article | Lyene Marie Darang & Niñajane Ponpon
Contributors | Yzabelle Jasmine Liwag & Janella Castillo
Layout & Photos | Yzabelle Jasmine Liwag
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