THIRD ALARM Residents on a flooded street in Marikina City evacuate to higher ground after authorities raised the third alarm for the Marikina River when it breached the 18-meter mark and continued to rise on Wednesday morning. Relentless and torrential rains brought by Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi) had swollen the river and flooded many areas in Metro Manila. —Grig C. Montegrande
MANILA, Philippines — Several senators and environmental groups blamed the reclamation projects in Manila Bay for causing the massive floods in the sprawling capital region and nearby provinces, including the Senate compound’s seaside street on Wednesday.
“This, I believe, is the consequence of all the reclamation happening in Manila Bay, no more outlets for flood waters here in Pasay and Manila,” Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters.
“It will always result in flooding every time it rains heavily. This is another disaster,” he added.
READ: Over 10,000 families in NCR evacuated due to Carina – DSWD
Zubiri also sent videos of the floods taken by his staff, including one showing a vehicle creating waves on the inundated Diokno Boulevard in front of the Senate building in Pasay City.
“The Senate is now coming off like Siargao,” he quipped sarcastically, referring to the renowned surfing capital of the Philippines.
The flooding was caused by relentless torrential rains over many parts of the country brought by Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi).
P1B ‘daily’ vs floods
Sen. Joel Villanueva, who also pointed to the reclamation as the culprit in the flooding, criticized the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for apparently not addressing this perennial problem.
“Imagine, for the past two years—including this year—we have this P1-billion-a-day flood control budget for DPWH alone—P1B a day! Please tell me if anyone here can see at least an improvement in addressing floods,” he said.
Sen. JV Ejercito also said that the reclamation projects could be among the possible causes of the flooding.
“Is it not because of the reclamation [that] the Senate (area) had been submerged in floodwaters? I think this is the only time it happened,” Ejercito said.
So-called benefits
Jonila Castro, the advocacy officer of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, said the intense flooding in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite and Bataan was a “direct result” of the massive reclamation in Manila Bay.
“From Presidents Duterte to Marcos Jr., lie upon lie has been rained upon us on the so-called benefits of reclamation,” she said. “And now, only two days after President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address, where he proudly committed himself as a climate champion, all his empty promises are literally drowning homes and families around Manila Bay.”
In his speech, Marcos said there were ongoing disaster preparedness efforts, citing 5,500 flood protection systems, but he was silent on the Manila Bay reclamation.
He appealed to Congress to pass a law to confer the legal personality of the Philippines as host of the board of the Loss Development Fund. Total commitments to the fund, which aims to assist developing countries vulnerable to climate change impacts, amounted to over $600 million as of early this year.
As floodwaters rose, environmental groups argued that the disaster underscored the urgent need for climate-resilient policies and infrastructure. They said reclamation projects also cause widespread and “irreversible” damage to coastal communities and the marine environment.
Suspension order
In August 2023, Marcos ordered the suspension of the 22-bay reclamation projects. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) then said that it would conduct a “thorough review” of the reclamation projects to assess their environmental and social impacts.
In November of that year, the DENR announced that its cumulative assessment of reclamation projects could be finished within a year. However, a few days later they confirmed that two reclamation projects were able to pass their compliance review, prompting the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to approve the projects’ resumption.
These projects were the Pasay 265, a joint venture between Pasay City and Pasay Harbor Corp. covering 265 hectares, and the 360-ha Pasay 360 with SM Smart City Infrastructure and Development Corp., which will be connected to SM Mall of Asia complex.
‘Agenda’ for Marcos
In February, the PRA announced plans to potentially proceed with another two reclamation projects in Manila Bay—a 90-hectare project in Bacoor, Cavite, and a 30-hectare project by the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority in Navotas.
Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Khevin Yu said the situation called for urgent moves for “climate justice.”
“These torrential rains give yet another picture of extreme weather in a climate-changed world,” he said. “Filipinos are calling for climate justice. President Marcos must champion policies to help facilitate access to justice for communities.”
The group’s outline of a “Climate Action Agenda” for the President includes enactment of the climate accountability bill, litigating carbon majors for climate impact damages, and championing innovative sources of finance for loss and damage.
“This will likely not be the last, or the worst, storm we will face this year. Climate impacts will continue to escalate,” Yu said.
He said Greenpeace volunteers had visited Barangay Banaba in San Mateo town, Rizal, one of the provinces that experienced relentless torrential rains on Wednesday and found flood-control structures incomplete and falling apart.
“It is small communities like Banaba, with poor infrastructure, that are affected the worst. For their sake, the Marcos administration must prioritize climate action,” Yu said.
Direct consequences
Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares called for an immediate halt to all reclamation activities in Manila Bay.
“The massive flooding we are witnessing in Metro Manila, particularly in areas like Malabon, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Marikina, Caloocan and Rizal where floodwaters have reached second floors, is a direct consequence of these reckless reclamation projects,” he said. “It’s clear that these projects are exacerbating the vulnerability of our communities to climate-related disasters.”
Colmenares also questioned the effectiveness of the government’s flood control efforts in the “New Philippines.”
“Is this what President Marcos Jr. was boasting about in his State of the Nation Address on Monday, that they’ve completed so many flood control projects?” he said.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said her office would reach out and provide assistance to those affected by the floods and other emergencies brought about by the typhoon.
Sen. Robinhood Padilla said his office had set up hotlines to help those affected by the calamity.
Padilla’s office is coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and other agencies to respond to calls for help. —with a report from Inquirer Research