Saying that their very lives depend on it, scores of Laguna fishermen, farmers and residents asked Environment Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje to allow the dredging of the 94,900-hectare lake to proceed immediately. The picketers, who brought along their children, said they staged the action at the main office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to prod Paje to issue a Notice to Proceed (NTP) for the project that has been frozen by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima due to the objections raised by Sen. Franklin Drilon. Gil Navarro, spokesman for the Kilusang Lawa Kalikasan (KLK), said they also asked President Aquino last Sept. 13 to order the implementation of the ₱18.7-billion project.

Benaning, M. N. (2010, September 23). Laguna fishers, farmers prod DENR to proceed with lake rehab project. Manila Bulletin, p. 8.