102 reclamation projects eyed, tagged as ‘morally disturbing’

LUCENA CITY—Leftist groups expressed apprehension over a plan by government to build what they said were 102 new islands through reclamation projects that the groups said would destroy environmentally critical areas and drastically reduce fishing grounds.

The group Pamalakaya, which counts fishermen as its members, said the plan to reclaim land nationwide was “morally disturbing.”

The group raised the alarm after leaked documents showed the government planned to embark on a massive reclamation project in different areas nationwide that would create a total of 38,272 hectares of new land.

One of the documents is a letter dated Dec. 5, 2011, by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje requesting clearance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for at least 102 reclamation projects from Metro Manila to different areas in Visayas and Mindanao.

In the letter, PRA General Manager Peter Anthony Abaya told Paje that the reclamation projects had been presented to the Cabinet economic cluster committee sometime in June or July 2011.

“It would be worthy to note that the committee had recognized the huge potential investments that reclamation projects … could generate similar to the Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan experience, among other countries that are implementing reclamation projects, not only by the hundreds but thousands of hectares, as tools in achieving economic growth and development,” Abaya said in his letter to Paje.

On Dec. 12, 2011, Environment Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta-Teh ordered all regional DENR executive directors to take immediate action on the PRA request.

The PRA plan included 38 reclamation programs in Manila Bay that would cover 26,234 ha of foreshore lands in Cavite, the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan.

At least seven reclamation projects are in the Davao Gulf consisting of 238 ha.

Fifty other reclamation projects covering 5,800 ha of foreshore land are in the Cagayan Special Economic Zone (220 ha), Albay Gulf (100 ha), Leganes reclamation in Iloilo (1,200 ha), Bacolod City reclamation

(250 ha), Semirara Island reclamation (980 ha), Kalibo reclamation (200 ha), Isabel reclamation (113 ha) in Leyte, Talisay reclamation (250 ha) in Cebu, and San Jose de Buenavista reclamation (300 ha) in Antique.

Pamalakaya has been opposing the plan to reclaim 26,234 ha of foreshore land in Manila Bay.

The reclamation project in the historic bay was tagged priority project by government under the much-touted public-private partnership program.

Gerry Albert Corpuz, the spokesperson of Pamalakaya, urged President Aquino to drop the projects.

“Instead of reclamation, the Aquino administration should undertake a massive mangrove reforestation program in Manila Bay to save this once highly productive fishing ground from eventual death and destruction,” Corpuz said.

The group said PRA was also “hell-bent” on reclaiming a 175-ha mangrove forest along the Manila Bay which serves as shelter for several species of waterfowl and birds.

Corpuz said based on his group’s experience, reclamation projects lead not just to environmental destruction but the eviction of thousands of fishermen and their families.

He said from 1992 to 1995, at least 3,000 fishermen and their families were evicted to give way to the Pasay reclamation project.