Manila Bay reclamation projects being monitored for possible violations —DENR

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been monitoring if the reclamation projects being done in Manila Bay have already committed some violations, Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said Tuesday.

At a Palace press briefing, Loyzaga was asked if the DENR has made orders to stop certain rehabilitation projects in Manila Bay.

"We are looking at compliance for those already who have been working and also calling them in, so kinakausap po namin ngayon ang mga nag-umpisa na," Loyzaga responded.

Asked if there were violations committed, Loyzaga said a discussion was being made with a certain party, however, she did not disclose further details on it.

"There are discussions ongoing with at least one party," Loyzaga said.

"We are, since bago lang ang release ng information, they will be called in for a technical conference to see whether may explanation pa sila sa mga inobserve na potential non-compliance," she added. 

According to the DENR chief, a cumulative impact assessment is ongoing as regards the rehabilitation projects.

"Right now, what I have been given some latitude to do is to actually present a cumulative impact assessment of the different individual projects. Ang nangyari po kasi in the past, ang evaluation po ng mga projects na ito have been on an individual basis, globally po ang practice whenever you have several projects in a single ecosystem," Loyzaga said.

The Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) earlier said it will start filling land in one of the three reclamation projects this year in the bay area.

The project in Manila will start at the back of the Quirino Grandstand until Manila Yacht Club. The permits for the projects were completed from 2019 to 2021 under the Duterte administration. —VAL, GMA Integrated News