Atin Ito honors LGU leaders supporting West PH Sea fishers, frontliners

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The Atin Ito Coalition on Monday recognized several local government leaders who have supported Filipino fisherfolk and West Philippine Sea (WPS) frontliners.

In a statement, Atin Ito said the awarding was held during a forum in Quezon City organized with the Center for Information Resilience and Integrity Studies (CIRIS) as part of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo).

The forum carried the theme, “West Philippine Sea: Mana Natin: The State and Legacy of Filipino Fishers and Those Who Stand With Them.”

Among those recognized were:

• Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte
• QC 1st District Councilor Joseph Juico
• QC 2nd District Councilor Ally Medalla
• Pasig City Councilor Paul Senogat
• Bulacan Provincial Board Member Arthur Legazpi
• San Jose del Monte, Bulacan Councilor Rosalyn Pordan
• Zamboanga City Councilor Kim Villaflores
• Representatives of the local governments of Navotas and Cebu.

The awardees also included local officials whose governments passed resolutions declaring July 12 as West Philippine Sea Victory Day.

“Mahalaga ang paninindigan ng ating mga LGU dahil ipinapakita nitong hindi lamang national government ang kumikilala at nagtatanggol sa ating karagatan,” Atin Ito co-convenor and Akbayan president Rafaela David said.

(The stance of our LGUs is important because it shows that it is not just the national government that recognizes and protects our oceans.)

“Kasama rito ang mga komunidad at lokal na pamahalaan na direktang nakatindig kasama ng ating mga mangingisda,” she added.

(This includes communities and local governments that stand directly with our fishermen.) —Joviland Rita/RF, GMA News