47 One of the major burdens we are facing is we do not have permanent houses because we are fishermen. They said our residential lots are considered danger zones, that’s why the tendency is to clean us up, we are moved to far-flung areas for the sake of what they say is keeping us away from danger. Because it is a danger zone and climate changes, typhoons are stronger, waves are stronger, we are told to leave our houses. The problem is we are fishermen. We have many experiences that some of our members were told to evacuate, some were transferred to the foot of mountains in Bulacan, mountain in Cavite. But still, they return to the coastal areas, live in their boats, find shelter and sleep there, then, they go home to their houses in Cavite or Bulacan. Sometimes they cannot take it any longer, they sell their houses in Bulacan or their house in Cavite for them to fish again. We think the worsening poverty experienced by fisherfolks, one of the biggest factor is climate change. Our homes were taken away from us…227 The right to adequate housing is also drastically impacted by extreme weather events. In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, people were forced to stay in evacuation centers for prolonged periods. Most of these centers were overcrowded and poorly resourced. Some stayed in tents and other temporary structures for months.228 Nicolas Starkey, a survivor of Typhoon Haiyan, had to live with relatives in a tent. The tent had no floor and was frequently inundated by mud and rainwater. Although the tent was only intended to fit two families, five lived in it. They lacked the resources to rebuild quickly, so they lived in dreadful conditions.229 The worst is when survivors of extreme weather events have to rebuild their homes as consecutive typhoons repeatedly beset them. vii. Right to Preservation of Culture The ICESCR expressly recognizes the right of every individual to “take part in cultural life.”230 Meanwhile the ICCPR guarantees that “in those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied 227 T.S.N. of the Second Inquiry Hearing dated 23-24 May 2018, at 55-56. 229 Id. 228 230 Marjanna Bergman, Typhoon Haiyan Anniversary: Three Generations Under One Roof in Tent City, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Nov. 7, 2014, available at https://www.unhcr.org/afr/ news/latest/2014/11/545cce276/typhoon-haiyan-anniversary-three-generations-under-roof-tent-city. html (last accessed Nov. 20, 2019). ICESCR, supra note 153, art 15.