‘Reclamation needs careful study’
Not a quick and easy process.
This is what the Department of Environment and Natural Resources National Capital Region (DENR NCR) reported to the media on Monday, after it said it had yet to issue an area clearance to proponents of the 148-hectare reclamation project along Manila Bay, a prerequirement for an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
DENR NCR Executive Director Neria Andin told reporters that they would first have to carefully look into the effects on “the country, the citizens and the locality where the project will be done,” of the Manila Goldcoast Development Corp.’s proposal to build a “Solar City” along a portion of the bay.
“All reclamation projects in areas covered by the National Reclamation Plan (which includes the city’s portion of Manila Bay) need to undergo a careful study and deliberation before they are given the go signal,” Andin said.
Citing Executive Order 672 series of 2007, Andin said that “prior to approval of any reclamation project, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) is hereby directed to coordinate and secure from the DENR a permit clearing a particular area to be the site of the proposed reclamation project, otherwise known as the area permit or site clearance.”
This area permit, according to Andin, should be issued by the regional director concerned.
In the case of Manila Bay’s, she explained that the area it covers is under the three regions of Central Luzon, Calabarzon and the National Capital Region, which includes Metro Manila.
Andin added that although the project site covers only the Metro Manila area, officials and residents of Central Luzon and Calabarzon also need to be consulted “because the effects of this reclamation (project) can reach as far as Zambales.”
The DENR official said her office has already been issued a memorandum regarding Goldcoast’s application for clearance with the two other regional offices.
In this connection, Andin said DENR Executive Director Noel Gaerlan had already been tasked to talk to the regional directors of Central Luzon and Calabarzon to discuss the matter.
“With this issue at hand, we are going to use the watershed-ecosystem management approach and an ecosystem management strategy,” Andin said.
She explained that under these methods, the DENR will have to make sure that in approving any reclamation project, there should be proper solid and liquid waste management, the restoration of the habitat and proper management of informal settlers.
Andin said that under the law, all these factors should be considered before they can issue a decision on proposed reclamation projects.
The “Solar City” project has consistently received criticisms from all quarters, but mostly from environmental groups and advocates who fear that building structures on Manila Bay’s reclaimed will not only alter the natural ecosystem, but also endanger the lives of many, especially during calamities like typhoons and earthquakes.
