MAKING A STAND Members of fisherfolk group Pamalakaya and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment show the complaint questioning the legality of reclamation and dredging activities in Manila Bay. RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — Activist groups Pamalakaya and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment filed an administrative complaint on Monday against the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) over reclamation and dredging projects in Manila Bay that they said have caused widespread and “irreversible” damage to coastal communities and the marine environment.
“It is high time to formally question the legality of reclamation and dredging projects in Manila Bay,” said Pamalakaya chair Fernando Hicap.
“Just because most of the projects have acquired necessary documents doesn’t mean that they went through [the] proper process, including but not limited to public consultation and evaluation of their cumulative impacts,” he added.
READ: Manila Bay reclamation projects cause more harm than good – Pamalakaya
Both groups, which were assisted by the Community Legal Help and Public Interest Centre in filing the complaint, said the projects have decimated fish populations, depleted other marine resources, increased invasive species, caused severe coastal erosion and disrupted livelihoods dependent on fishing, among others.
Hicap said the PRA and DENR were “accountable to millions of fisherfolk and coastal residents across Manila Bay over the irreversible damage to our lives and livelihood.”
READ: Fishers’ group hits planned resumption of reclamation projects
Documents sought
In their complaint, the groups asked the two government agencies to provide various documents and assessments related to the projects, including relocation plans for affected communities, technical evaluations and advisory opinions on the projects from the National Economic Development Authority and DENR, environmental compliance certificates, area clearances and monitoring reports.
They also sought an impact assessment report examining the combined effects of all reclamation and dredging across Manila Bay, hydrodynamic modeling studies of how the projects have altered tidal flows and currents and detailed development plans and area plans from the PRA.
In August 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of all reclamation projects, except for one, in Manila Bay, pending review.
International environmental group Oceana said that PRA data showed there were 22 bay reclamation projects, with half already underway. Outside Metro Manila, there were 30 reclamation projects as of February 2023.