ANGELES CITY- What Pres. Aquino revoked as a “midnight order” of former Pres. Arroyo to reclaim lands in Pampanga has been revived in the government’s reclamation plans that critics warned could only worsen flooding and trigger storm surges.
Anakpawis party list leader Fernando Hicap noted that 4,500 hectares of coastal areas covered by Manila Bay in Pampanga are slated to be reclaimed under the Pampanga Bay Integrated Development Project (PBIDP).
PBIDP would also cover 1, 317 hectares in adjacent areas of Malabon and Obando, Bulacan and another 5,574 hectares of coastal waters in Malolos, Paombong and Hagonoy all in Bulacan province, he noted.
Groups opposed to the government’s reclamation plans in the areas said ”Central Luzon would become a region of great floods and storm surges should the government insist on the reclamation of more than 13,000 hectares of coastal areas in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan under the National Reclamation Plan (NRP) of the Philippine Reclamation Authority or the PRA.”
They said that in areas where reclamation projects were finished, areas which had not been prone to flooding were already noted to have submerged in waters during heavy rains.
Hicap noted that in November last year, Pres. Aquino revoked a “midnight” administrative order issued by Arroyo for a reclamation project in Pampanga Bay.
“Yet now, the Aquino government under NRP will still pursue the reclamation of 4,500 hectares of coastal waters in the municipalities of Lubao, Sasmuan and Macabebe in Pampanga,” Hicap said.
The reclamation project is being opposed in unison by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the Anakpawis party list-Manila Bay chapter, the National Capital Region-based Sagip Manila Bay Movement, the Save Freedom Island Movement and the Koalisyon Kontra Kumbersyon ng Manila Bay or KKK-Manila Bay.
Hicap also said another 2,054 hectares are to be reclaimed in the coastal towns of Bataan province. All in all, about 13,770 hectares of coastal areas will be reclaimed in Central Luzon based on NRP.
