Reclamation agency justifies bay projects
The reclamation site in Manila Bay along J.W. Diokno Boulevard in Pasay City on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The reclamation projects in Manila Bay were actually designed to shield the communities along its coast from tsunamis and storm surges, an official of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) claimed on Sunday.
“The reason why these reclamation projects were on a higher elevation is that these also serve as coastal protection,” PRA Assistant General Manager Joseph Literal said in a statement.
Contrary to the fears of some senators, Literal said the reclamation activities would not worsen the flooding in the metropolis since they were designed with “climate change projections” in mind.
The expansion of the coastal areas used the sprawling SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City as its baseline, according to the PRA official.
Literal also clarified that of the 22 reclamation projects that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources suspended, only 13 were in Manila Bay.
“These projects are handled by various local governments, such as Navotas, Manila, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Bacoor and the province of Cavite,” he said.
Two weeks ago, President Marcos said only one of the ongoing reclamation activities was allowed to continue pending the review being conducted by the government.
As to concerns that the construction of the man-made coastal lands would block the picturesque sunset in Manila Bay, the PRA official said the public would actually have “a bigger viewing deck” once the reclaimed areas are completed.
Said Literal: “The people in Metro Manila will have opportunities to view the sunset from different vantage points.”
“There will be no obstruction,” he stressed, “since they will be at the front of Manila Bay.”
