Dumaguete mayor defers controversial reclamation project

LET THE HEAVENS INTERVENE The associations of fishers in Dumaguete City stage fluvial parade on Aug. 30 to seek divine intervention against the local government’s plan to reclaim 174 hectares of the coastline. —PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY ROSALES

DUMAGUETE CITY—Mayor Felipe Remollo of this city has deferred signing the agreement with a Manila-based firm for the construction of the 174-hectare Smart City reclamation project that has been opposed by several sectors here.

But it may be too early for critics of the project to rejoice.

Remollo wrote to the city council saying he was withdrawing his request for an authority to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with construction firm E.M. Cuerpo Inc. but it was “without prejudice … to pursue the city’s applications for pertinent permits with the PRA (Philippine Reclamation Authority) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources relative to the Smart City project at the proper time.”

He did not state the reason why he wanted to defer the signing of the MOU, except that it was reached “after careful consideration and in-depth study of factual circumstances.”

The council, in a special session on Friday, approved Remollo’s request.

Dumaguete’s proposed reclamation project dubbed “Smart City” is envisioned to be a mixed-use commercial and residential area, featuring malls, condominiums, hospitals, business hubs and a docking port for a planned yacht club, among others.

It was strongly opposed by several sectors here as the project would greatly affect the rich marine environment of the city and in neighboring areas, such as world-renowned diving spot Apo Island in Dauin town.

The deferment came weeks after the Negros Oriental provincial board passed on final reading an ordinance that declared all 46 marine protected areas (MPAs) in the province, including in four villages in Dumaguete, as reclamation-free zones.

The proposed ordinance, if signed into law, will ban all foreshore and offshore reclamation activities in all MPAs in the province. It is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Roel Degamo.

A position paper issued by marine biologists and experts from Silliman University last July noted that some of the MPAs in the province “may cease to exist” if the project materializes.