CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Various groups warned yesterday Pres. Aquino of a looming “Battle of Manila Bay” against “large-scale and destructive land reclamation” in the Manila Bay.
“If his administration through the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) will insist in pushing 38 reclamation projects that would cover 26, 234 hectares of coastal waters along the bay, huge protests will happen,” said the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya).
Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap warned of “an across-the-bay outrage of Manila Bay fishermen and urban poor dwellers who would be affected by these reclamation projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) driven National Reclamation Plan (NRP).”
“The issues pertaining to reclamation would be hot items come May 2013 elections. It is a make or break for the Aquino administration,” he also said.
Hicap noted that the NRP covers the controversial P14-B Las Piñas-Parañaque reclamation project, now subject of a petition of Writ of Kalikasan filed by former Las Pinas representative Cynthia Villar and more than 315,000 residents of the city.
“An across-the-Manila Bay revolt to be headed by small fisherfolk and marginalized residents of Manila Bay is likely if the PRA, which is under the Office of the President will push through with its plans to reclaim the bay at the expense of people’s livelihood, social justice and sustainable environment,” Pamalakaya said in a statement.
Thousands of small fishermen and their families are to be adversely affected by the reclamation projects.
The group said “the P 14-B Las Piñas-Parañaque reclamation project involving 203.43 hectares of Parañaque coastal territory and 431.71 hectares of Las Piñas territory is major threat to the livelihood of small fisherfolk sourcing their subsistence from Manila Bay.”
“The source of this collective fear is based on the experience of small fishermen, mussel growers and shell gatherers beginning 2010 upon the completion of R-1 Extension Expressway Project which is now known as Cavite Expressway or Cavitex,” Hicap said.
He noted that “two years after the completion of the solid-based road infrastructure done through massive reclamation of not less than 5,000 hectares of foreshore waters along Bacoor Bay, a dramatic decline in fish capture and aquaculture production took place.”
“Hundreds of hectares of mussel farms were demolished, causing grave economic difficulties to small and medium scale mussel operators in Bacoor,” he added.
The group said the massive reclamation in Las Piñas and Parañaque, aside from causing floods, would also pave way to widespread demolition of fishing and urban poor communities.
