Only 13 reclamation projects approved in Manila Bay, says PRA exec

Only 13 reclamation projects—not 22—are currently approved in Manila Bay, according to Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) Assistant General Manager Joseph Literal on Monday.

Literal clarified that the 22 reclamation projects cited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were all over the country, and only 13 are in Manila Bay.

“We just want to clarify the numbers—the 22 on record, that’s the approved projects nationwide. In Manila Bay, 13 po lahat,” he said in a CNN Philippines interview.

“We should have the same count [as DENR] because we based our approval on the issued ECC (environmental compliance certificate) and area clearance. So our approved projects should also be the same as the approved projects on the records of DENR,” he added.

Of these 13 reclamation projects, Literal said three are being implemented now, while the other ten are still complying with the pre-construction documents and other permits from PRA and other government agencies.

He also said that the projects in Manila Bay were approved from 2019 to 2021, while the other projects have already been pre-approved since the late 1990s.

For those in Manila Bay, Literal said the projects are concentrated within the National Capital Region (NCR) and some areas of Cavite, and would cover 5,000 hectares to 6,000 hectares of the harbor.

“If we would compare it to the entire size of Manila Bay which is almost 200,000 hectares…it’s less than 5%. ‘Yun ‘yung sinasabi namin, na i-dispel lang namin ‘yung notion na mawawala ang Manila Bay [We want to dispel notions that Manila Bay will be gone],” he added.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., announced last week that all reclamation projects in Manila Bay except one were suspended due to problems in their implementation.

The President also said the sea along Roxas Boulevard could disappear because of such reclamation projects.

On Sunday, fisherfolk group Pamalakaya Pilipinas said that vessels were seen engaged in dredging operations off the shores of Rosario, Noveleta, Tanza, and Naic in Cavite despite the suspension order.

“The dredging activities, operated by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC), are for the dump-and-fill projects in Manila Waterfront Reclamation and the Bulacan Aerotropolis Project, respectively,” the group said.

However, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) responded that the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project was being built not on reclaimed land, but on existing low-lying land that, historically, was vulnerable to heavy flooding and was converted to commercial fishponds.—Giselle Ombay/LDF, GMA Integrated News