‘Bay project won’t block sunset view’

The proposed reclamation project will not obstruct or hide from public view Manila Bay’s world-famous sunset.

This was the assurance given on Wednesday by one of the top officials of Manila Goldcoast Development Corp. (MGDC), the main proponent of the ambitious program to reclaim and develop 148 hectares of the bay.

Speaking at the “Balitaan sa Aloha” media forum in Manila, MGDC vice chair Edmundo Lim said the project would still allow people to enjoy the sunset.

According to him, “Solar City,” the commercial, business, residential and tourism hub which will rise on the reclaimed area, will “enhance a four-kilometer sunset-viewing area.”

At the same time, he assured the public that a casino was not in the blueprint of the development plan.

“[This is not] a wanton and greedy business project that’s aimed only at making profits. It will help the City of Manila develop further and make money, too, in the process,” Lim said.

He explained that of the proposed reclaimed area of 148 hectares, MGDC would get just 82 hectares.

“Thirty hectares will go to the Philippine Reclamation Authority while the Manila City government will get five hectares. The rest will go to the construction of roads and open parks, among others … A significant portion of the project will be dedicated to environmental concerns,” Lim said.

The project, he emphasized, would “definitely enhance the business and tourism potentials of the city.”

Lim added that they were holding talks with Cultural Center of the Philippines officials on turning a portion of Solar City into an “arts, culture and entertainment center that [would] be the pride of every Filipino.”

The center, he said, would “showcase new Filipino heroes, people who make us proud.”