‘4 reclamation projects to resume this year’
THE Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) on Wednesday said that four suspended reclamation projects in Manila Bay are set to resume this year.
At a press briefing, PRA Reclamation and Regulation Office Assistant General Manager Joseph John Literal said that these are the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) Navotas Fish Port reclamation project; the Bacoor 90-hectare reclamation project, which was part of the overall Bacoor Reclamation and Development Project; the Navotas 650-hectare reclamation project; and the Manila Solar reclamation project.
“In [the National Capital Region] NCR, our (Manila Bay-related) reclamation projects total 16, with the approved ones with NoticeTo-Proceed (NTP) permits being 11 and three others that do not have. But all 14 of those projects were suspended,” Literal said.
He said the Philippine Fisheries Development
Authority Navotas Fish Port and the Bacoor 90-hectare reclamation projects could resume in the first or second quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Navotas 650-hectare reclamation and the Manila Solar reclamation projects will resume within the year.
“Two of those reclamation projects have resumed, and we are expecting another two of the suspended projects very soon, and for the rest of the year, possibly another two again .... if they manage to comply with the requirements on time,” Literal said.
The two projects that Literal said have resumed are the 265-hectare Pasay Harbor City reclamation project by Pasay Harbor City Corporation (PHCC) and SM Prime Holdings’ 360-hectare Pasay reclamation project, which the agency green-lit in November 2023.
The PFDA Navotas Fish Port reclamation project would be part of the development and rehabilitation of the Navotas Fish Port Complex.
Meanwhile, the Bacoor 90-hectare reclamation project is part of the 320-hectare Bacoor reclamation and development project proposed by the City Government of Bacoor under its mayor, Lani Mercado Revilla, and refers to the four inland reclamation islands behind Manila-Cavite Expressway with an aggregate area of 90 hectares.
The 650-hectare proposed mixed-use reclamation project will be carried out by Ramon Ang’s San Miguel Corp. in collaboration with the Navotas City government. The PRA said this would be the gateway to the Bulacan International Airport, which the company is also constructing.
The Manila Solar City reclamation project of Manila Goldcoast Development Corp. is a joint venture of MGDC with the local government of Manila and is envisioned to be a modern smart city.