MANILA, Philippines — An organization on Tuesday called for the abolition of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and pushed for the transfer of its executive functions to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
During the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change’s hearing on large-scale land reclamation projects in the Philippines, Ana Lourdes Cosme of the UP Law Center-Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea pushed for the enactment of a measure with the following objectives:
- Abolition of PRA as a government-owned and controlled corporation with exclusive power to undertake reclamation projects.
- Transfer PRA’s executive functions, that is, the implementation of reclamation projects, to the DPWH.
- Establishment of a system for imposing administrative penalties and forfeitures against natural and juridical persons who undertake illegal reclamation projects.
“The institute of maritime affairs of the law and the sea believes that it is time to undertake serious and sweeping legal reforms to address the great problems of reclamation,” said Cosme.
In the same hearing, Cosme claimed that PRA profits from reclamation due to the “monopoly” of the projects’ ownership.
“Since reclamation usually entails enormous costs, the PRA is prompted to [reclaim] more lands in order to support its investments in previous projects. Under its charter, PRA needs to earn its own money for its existence and operations, which are exclusively dependent on reclamation projects and activities,” said Cosme.
The UP Law Center-Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea is also pushing for the following:
- Transfer PRA’s regulatory functions to an appropriate office under the DENR with relevant functions concerning the management of coastal resources, such as the coastal and marine management office.
- Establishment of a strict moratorium on all reclamation projects, whether by the national government or in partnership with local government and/or private contractors.
- Provision of strict guidance to local government units regarding the conduct of reclamation activities with [the goal of] reducing the destructive practice and emphasizing the renewal and restoration of existing local real estate.