Leftist activists on Friday warned Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza that he and his office will face protests from small fishermen if he approves a proposed fish ban off Manila Bay.

"Not only the extreme force of nature will confront Secretary Atienza if he will approve this crazy proposal, he will meet the extreme anger and slam bang protest of the Manila Bay fishermen who will be affected by this incorrigible act," Fernando Hicap, chairman of the left-leaning Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said in a press statement.

The proposal to ban fishing in Manila Bay came from the River Basin Control Office (RBCO), the agency coordinating water-related initiatives nationwide.

RCBO executive director Dr. Vicente Tuddao Jr. said he would bring the proposal in next week's meeting of the Manila Bay Coordinating Committee (MBCC) with Secretary Atienza.

Hicap said the proposed fish ban off Manila Bay will destroy the livelihoods of not less than 500,000 fishermen and their dependents. He said the ban on all fishing activities will severely affect the livelihood of small fishermen and fish workers in all coastal towns of Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Navotas, Malabon, the coastal towns of Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan provinces.

"The fish ban is not the solution to Manila Bay's degradation. The government and its environmental planners are conspiring to eliminate small fishermen so they could sell Manila Bay to the transnational clients of the ruling Mafia in Malacañang," said Hicap.

According to Pamalakaya, the government will impose fish ban in Manila Bay not to rehabilitate it, but to allow and fast-track all reclamation activities in the area.

Hicap said the government is eying to reclaim another 90 hectares of shallow coastal areas in Pasay City Reclamation Area for the controversial Las Vegas style casino project along Roxas Boulevard, which the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) will undertake.

Pamalakaya said the government also plans to construct another casino inside the Navotas Fish Port, while in Cavite, the government will undertake a 5,000 hectare reclamation project that would cover the coastal areas of Bacoor, Kawit, Binakayan, Noveleta and Cavite City.

Pamalakaya said it will ask its network of lawyers  regarding the proposal to impose a fish ban in light of a Supreme Court decision ordering the national government and all its attached agencies to ensure the rehabilitation of the bay.

"The Supreme Court ruling sent marching orders to the government to conduct a comprehensive rehabilitation program. It did not say it should impose fish ban, pursue all-out reclamation and sell Manila Bay to the highest bidders," the group added.

Manila Bay has a surface area of about 1,800 square kilometers and a coastline of around 190 kilometers running along parts of National Capital Region, the country's leading urban center, as well as Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan and Cavite provinces.

The DENR said this bay has coral reefs and seagrass beds where fishes forage while mudflats suitable for shellfisheries are found along the coast of Bataan and Pampanga.

Citing a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources study, the DENR also said some 4,600 hectares in Manila Bay are wetlands that provide food and habitat for various species, act as reservoir for watersheds, help maintain and improve water quality in rivers and other water bodies as well as protect adjacent and downstream areas from potential flooding damage.

International organization Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) said a 2005 study shows economic value for use of Manila Bay's resources and for benefits from its mangroves, mudflats and coral reefs exceeds PhP8 billion annually.