Constructed in 1993, the Pampanga Delta Development Project Flood Control (PDDP-FC) aimed to control and reduce flooding in the Pampanga Delta area because it was perennially damaged by rising water levels throughout the rainy season.[1] However, many of the communities in the outskirts of Pampanga, one which is Barangay Sagrada Familia II, still experience successive flooding even during normal rains. Floods in the area take time to subside. Moreover, the still-unfinished Delta Project has caused sea water to reach the rice fields and resulted to high salinity of water. Due to these changes in their environment, from being a farming sector, the community of Sagrada Familia II had no choice but to divert to fish farming. Sacrifices were made in terms of acquisition of new equipment and skills training. However, in spite of everything, this change in their means of livelihood has not given the community members a sustainable lifestyle due to their vulnerability to natural calamities.
Currently, the community specializes in the breeding of cultured seafood such as fish, crab, prawns and shrimps. Many of their harvests are sold in the market, while most of their prawns are sold to traders who then export them. The prawns bought are often subjected to manipulated pricing from unscrupulous traders who take advantage of the sellers' being uneducated in market forces.
[1] Governance Review and Innovations for
Development (GRID), Pampanga Delta Development Project Phase 1: A Citizen’s
Report, accessed September 9, 2012,
http://www.mode.org/oda/pdf/Pampanga%20Delta%20Development%20Project%20Case%20Study%20-%20GRID-ODA%20Watch.pdf
(October 2007)
