MALOLOS CITY—The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Central Luzon backed the proposed revival of the Manila Bay Coastal Highway that will link Manila and Bataan.
As this developed, the Sanggunian Panglalawigan of Bulacan disclosed that they are also supporting the said proposal and other flood control projects in the province.
Dr. Remedios Ongtangco, BFAR-3 director, said the proposed coastal high project will not only reduce flooding in the coastal areas of Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga ang Bataan but will also protect once productive fishponds in the said areas.
“It should be seriously considered because it will help aquaculture in Central Luzon,” Ongtangco said.
Her suggestion came during the recent meeting called by the Bulacan SP to address flooding in the province.
Ongtangco said that floods in Bulacan and Pampanga are not only coming from the uplands of the region.
She said that sea water rise or high tide is more destructive to coastal communities especially on aquaculture as it submerges fishponds.
The same was echoed by Board Member Felix Ople, who chairs the committee on environment at the Provincial Board.
As former mayor of Hagonoy town, Ople said that perennial flooding in Hagonoy and nearby towns has rendered many residents almost helpless.
Earlier, Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado proposed the revival of the coastal highway project noting that it will not only address flooding but save fishponds fronting the Manila Bay from further damage cause by tidal waves.
“It is like hitting two birds with one stone,” he said and added that the coastal high project will also help small fishermen.
According to Alvarado the said project was first proposed during the Martial Law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos but was eventually abandoned as fishpond operators opposed it.
However, he said that it is now more feasible as the price of fishponds fronting the Manila Bay has dropped starting in the mid ‘80s as more fishponds were damaged by big waves from Manila Bay.
Aside from the Manila Bay coastal highway, Alvarado also proposed the revival of the Pampanga River Control System, a division of the Department of Public Works and Highways( DPWH) that used to manage and maintain rivers in Central Luzon.
For his part, Vice governor Daniel Fernando said the Bulacan SP is set to ratify a resolution endorsing Alvarado’s proposal.
