Laguna de Bay gets P270M for projects, facility improvement

SAN PEDRO, LAGUNA—President Aquino had approved the release of P270 million to the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), where an embattled party mate and presidential adviser fighting off his suspension, sits as a member of the agency’s board.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the fund would be used for six scientific projects meant to improve the lake water’s quality, as initiated by LLDA general manager Nereus Acosta.

“Environment sustainability that benefits all is among the key priorities of President Aquino. This administration aims to rescue Laguna de Bay from environmental blight and to revive its role as a source of life and livelihood in Luzon,” said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad in a statement on Friday.

The six LLDA projects were the initiatives of Acosta, who is also the presidential adviser on environmental protection and a party mate of Aquino in the Liberal Party (LP).

Breakdown

The DBM said the fund breakdown and the six projects were as follows: P79.5 million for the Laguna de Bay quality management restoration water park, a bioremediation technology facility; P21 million to improve a road leading to a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Teresa, Rizal; P100 million for the construction of a “green, climate-sensitive, and energy-efficient” LLDA headquarters; P50 million to upgrade the agency’s laboratory equipment; P4.5 million for the procurement of surveillance and monitoring motorboats; and P15 million to back a Project Feasibility Development Team to enhance the agency’s mandate.

Acosta is facing graft charges over the alleged misuse of the priority development assistance fund when he was congressman of Bukidnon.

“We welcome the President now giving his attention, and not only the attention but the budget, to the Laguna Lake, although we ask how the LLDA made the allocation?” said Chino Santos, chair of the nongovernment organization Kilusang Lawa-Kalikasan (KLK).

Group

The KLK is a community-based group of lakeshore residents and fishermen in Laguna. The group conducts discussions with scientists from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños to determine the real condition and water contamination level of the lake.

Aside from LLDA, which functions as a regulatory body, KLK proposes the creation of a research center that is mainly backed by the science community.

“Given the biological and chemical problems (in the lake) they came up with an architectural solution. We just hope this is not image-building,” said KLK cochair Archie Mauricio.

The LLDA has offices in Quezon City, a laboratory in Taytay, Rizal and forest nurseries in Calauan Laguna, according to Gerry Carandang of the LLDA information office. The agency has yet to find a location for the P100-million “green” building.

The road rehabilitation fund for Teresa, Rizal, is meant to cement the 1.4-kilometer rugged road leading to the MRF in Barangay (village) Dalig, according to municipal environment officer Marlon Pielago.

The MRF in Teresa, whose Mayor Rodel dela Cruz is also a member of the LP, was built in 2005 under the Laguna de Bay Institutional Strengthening and Community Participation (Liscop) Project.

Liscop is jointly funded by World Bank, the Netherlands Government, local government units and the LLDA.