Only 13 reclamation tasks—not 22—are presently accepted in Manila Bay, based on Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) Assistant General Manager Joseph Literal on Monday.
Literal clarified that the 22 reclamation tasks cited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have been everywhere in the nation, and solely 13 are in Manila Bay.
“We just want to clarify the numbers—the 22 on record, that’s the approved projects nationwide. In Manila Bay, 13 po lahat,” he stated in a CNN Philippines interview.
“We should have the same count [as DENR] because we based our approval on the issued ECC (environmental compliance certificate) and area clearance. So our approved projects should also be the same as the approved projects on the records of DENR,” he added.
Of these 13 reclamation tasks, Literal stated three are being carried out now, whereas the opposite ten are nonetheless complying with the pre-construction paperwork and different permits from PRA and different authorities companies.
He additionally stated that the tasks in Manila Bay have been accepted from 2019 to 2021, whereas the opposite tasks have already been pre-approved because the late Nineteen Nineties.
For these in Manila Bay, Literal stated the tasks are concentrated throughout the National Capital Region (NCR) and a few areas of Cavite, and would cowl 5,000 hectares to six,000 hectares of the harbor.
“If we would compare it to the entire size of Manila Bay which is almost 200,000 hectares…it’s less than 5%. ‘Yun ‘yung sinasabi namin, na i-dispel lang namin ‘yung notion na mawawala ang Manila Bay [We want to dispel notions that Manila Bay will be gone],” he added.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., introduced final week that every one reclamation tasks in Manila Bay besides one have been suspended resulting from issues of their implementation.
The President additionally stated the ocean alongside Roxas Boulevard may disappear due to such reclamation tasks.
On Sunday, fisherfolk group Pamalakaya Pilipinas stated that vessels have been seen engaged in dredging operations off the shores of Rosario, Noveleta, Tanza, and Naic in Cavite regardless of the suspension order.
“The dredging activities, operated by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC), are for the dump-and-fill projects in Manila Waterfront Reclamation and the Bulacan Aerotropolis Project, respectively,” the group stated.
However, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) responded that the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) challenge was being constructed not on reclaimed land, however on present low-lying land that, traditionally, was susceptible to heavy flooding and was transformed to business fishponds.—Giselle Ombay/LDF, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
