Manila OKs another reclamation project

The city government of Manila has entered into a joint venture agreement with a construction conglomerate for the P7.4-billion expansion of Manila North Harbour Centre (MNHC) in Tondo through reclamation.

The JVA, signed at City Hall on Thursday by Mayor Joseph Estrada and R-II Builders Inc., involves the reclamation of 50 hectares of Manila Bay on the western side of MNHC, which currently sits on 79 hectares of reclaimed land.

Under the agreement, Manila will be “appropriated with a 15-hectare portion of the soon-to-be-reclaimed area which the city government is planning to develop as a new industrial complex,” City Hall said in a statement on Saturday.

Phase 1 and 2 of the reclamation and construction work are expected to take two-and-a-half years.

“At no cost to the city government, this project will bring about the much-needed realty and corporate income taxes, and thousands of jobs and business opportunities for Manileños,” Estrada said.

He added that the multibillion-peso project would help solve the “perennial problem of congestion in the city’s sea ports,” particularly at Manila North Harbor.

According to R-II Builders chair Reghis Romero, the expansion would enable the port facility to handle larger vessels, which translates to reduced costs and faster cargo handling, and make the Port of Manila at par with international standards.

“Because of progress, bigger cargo vessels are now being used, from 20,000 to 30,000 metric tons and now up to 60,000 to 70,000 metric tons. These vessels need a draft of at least 15 meters but sadly, Philippine ports can only handle up to 12,” Romero said.

But the project is expected to draw fresh opposition from environmental, civic and religious groups who have long been against reclamation projects on Manila Bay.

Joan Orendain, a convenor of “Save Our Shores” movement which has conducted forums and campaigns to preserve the coastline, warned that Manila was “already sinking” due to the increasing extraction of groundwater for homes and commercial buildings—and reclaiming more land for such developments would mean “a greater number needing water.”

And in the event of an earthquake or storm surge, reclamation puts people on those areas at a higher risk, Orendain said in an interview Saturday.

In 2013, during Estrada’s first year as Manila mayor, he also expressed his support for the reclamation of 288 hectares between the Philippine Navy headquarters and Manila Yacht Club. It was his predecessor, Alfredo Lim, who signed the contract with Manila GoldCoast Corp. for the project that was envisioned as the future site of “Solar City.”

Also among the staunch opponents of reclamation projects on the bay is the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.