Behind some idle fishing boats, Danny Machado, 62, scans Laguna de Bay from Barangay Cuyab here. Machado is starting to grow impatient over hectares after hectares of fish pens that he blames for his dwindling catch. “I’m sure President Duterte meant well,” Machado said. “But they’re still there. Not every single one was removed.” In his first State of the Nation Address (Sona), Mr. Duterte said he wanted the lake transformed into a “vibrant economic zone” by addressing issues on watershed destruction, land conversion and pollution. The fish pens and cages, choking the lake for decades, also caught the President’s eye. He said he wanted the small, poor fishermen prioritized in terms of access to the natural resource.

Cinco, M., & Celis, N. (2017, July 20). Still no room for small fishers as pens remain in Laguna de Bay. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A9.