Land reclamation: Bane or boon?
Fishermen from Cavite belonging to the militant Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) trooped to the Department of environment and natural resources (Denr) last week and filed a complaint against the ongoing land-reclamation activities in the coastal areas of Bacoor City and sangley Point in Cavite City.
This came after DENR officials issued statements promising to stop a multibillion land-reclamation project being pushed by local officials of Bacoor City for the establishment of its would-be central business district along Manila Bay.
The Bacoor land-reclamation project covers a total of 420 hectares. It will displace around 100 hectares of mussel farms and cause the eviction of hundreds of coastal families, whose way of life is tied to fishing and mussel farming.
Urban expansion
URBaN expansion through massive land reclamation, also known as dump-and-fill, is a highly contentious issue.
By expanding local territories that will translate to increased land asset, land reclamation provides much-needed space for development projects, which include residential, commercial and industrial areas.
Such development tack to expand land territories of local government units (LGUs) is happening in various parts of the world, including the Philippines.
‘Battle for Manila Bay’
ThE Manila Bay, a historic water body and one of the most economically important water bodies in the country is being eyed for massive land reclamation.
Incidentally, Manila Bay is currently the subject of massive rehabilitation efforts by the interagency Manila Bay Task Force led by the DENR headed by Secretary Roy a. Cimatu.
In launching the “Battle for Manila Bay,” a campaign with a whopping P4.7 billion budget,
Cimatu cited a decade-old Supreme Court continuing mandamus ordering 13 government agencies, including the DENR, to rehabilitate Manila Bay and restore its water to its pristine state, making it swimmable and clean enough for other recreational activities.
The rehabilitation of Manila Bay has sent the DENR and the Laguna Lake Development authority tightening their watch on the environmental compliance of business establishments, as well as government offices occupying buildings along Manila Bay.
Cease-and-desist orders have been issued to erring business establishments whose wastewater discharge fail water quality standards.
The DENR, together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, has mobilized LGUs, including barangays, and tapped private-sector partners to clean up esteros leading out to Manila Bay.
The Manila Bay Task Force is preparing to relocate informal settlers living in so-called danger zones around the bay, including rivers, river tributaries, esteros and creeks as part of the rehabilitation effort.
Strong opposition
ThE Philippine Reclamation authority (PRa) has listed a total of 23 land-reclamation projects covering at least 23,000 hectares that are currently in various stages of development and awaiting the green light from concerned authorities.
however, land-reclamation projects are being met with strong opposition by various stakeholders, particularly fishermen, coastal dwellers and environment groups, because of its destructive nature and potential environmental, economic and the sociocultural impact.
Fishermen and people living in coastal communities are often the first to feel the adverse economic impact of land reclamation.
Besides catching fish, fishermen and those living in coastal communities depend on gathering shells, crabs and other near-shore seafood, for sustenance, income and livelihood.
Worse, those living in coastal communities are often evicted from their homes to pave the way for land reclamation.
Threats to ecosystems
LaND reclamation completely destroys and kills ecosystem-forming species, such as mangroves, seagrass and corals that are essential to sustaining marine life.
Besides being feeding grounds and playground of small fishes, mollusks, shellfish and other marine organisms that are essentially the seafood that feeds millions of people and provides income and livelihood to people in coastal communities, the mangroves, seagrass and corals help mitigate the impacts of climate change and reduce the risk of disaster.
The marine habitats are the natural defense of coastal communities against sea-level rise. They also cushion the impact of storm surges and tsunamis.
Climate-change impacts aCCoRDING to oceana Philippines, the environmental threats of dump-and-fill activities are aggravated by climate change, thereby, endangering more lives and threatening the destruction of properties and loss in investment.
Climate-change impacts Manila Bay in many ways, according to oceana, which called for a moratorium on land reclamation pending the conduct of environmental impact studies for every project.
The increased rainfall yearround by 2050 will result in worse flooding, while more frequent supertyphoons will trigger storm surges in coastal areas.
on the other hand, the rise in sea level will worsen land subsidence, resulting in the faster sinking of land.
oceana Philippines Vice President Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, in an interview by the BusinessMirror, said land-reclamation projects are illegal because “they violate the Constitutional right of Filipinos to a balanced and healthful ecology.”
Threaten rich biodiversity, fragile ecosystems oCEaNa added that the proposed land-reclamation projects in Manila Bay would threaten the rich marine biodiversity of the bay and disturb the already fragile ecosystems.
Fishes, wetlands, mangrove forest areas and water birds will be adversely affected by land reclamation in the bay.
The Manila Bay is a productive fishing ground. Pamalakaya National Chairman Fernando hicap said that despite the dwindling fish catch, it is able to support the livelihood of small fishermen.
assorted fish and other seafood can still be caught from the bay.
Sardines, mackerel mullet, threadfin, bream, squid, blue crab, round scad and fusilier are just a few of the commercially viable fish caught in Manila Bay, oceana Philippines reported.
“Sixty-seven percent of Manila Bay’s total value is accounted for by the fisheries industry alone. Reclamation will decrease fish population due to the loss of breeding grounds,” oceana Philippines warned.
Laws prohibiting land reclamation
R aMoS, an environmental lawyer, also cited numerous laws that prohibits the wholesale destruction of coastal ecosystems.
These include Republic act 10654, or the amended Fisheries Code, which prohibits the gathering or transporting of coral sand, fragments and other substances which make up marine habitat.
In the case of Manila Bay, a historical site because of the presence of the Spanish-era Walled City of Intramuros in Manila, land reclamation violates Republic act 10055, or the National Cultural heritage act, specifically the modification and alteration of a national landmark.
on the issue of biodiversity protection and conservation, land reclamation violates the National Integrated Protected areas System act. The Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, formerly called the Las PiñasParañaque Critical habitat and Ecotourism area, a Ramsar Site, stands to be affected by proposed dump-and-fill projects.
Land reclamation violates national law and plebiscite requirement for the substantial alteration of boundaries of local government units, particularly Section 10 and amount to illegal International Revenue allotment disbursement to local government units under Section 285 of the Local Government Code, or Republic act 7160.
“They should stop these projects because they are destructive and violates the right of every Filipino to the Constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology,” Ramos said in an earlier interview.
also, Ramos cited the fact that Manila Bay is a productive fishing ground that sustains the livelihood of small fishermen.
on top of this, a new species of sardine was recorded by scientists to occur and spawn in Manila Bay.
Bane or boon? aCCoRDING to the PRa, almost all land-reclamation project applications were submitted by LGUs and their private-sector partners.
With urban expansion through land reclamation, the LGUs’ territory increases, which, also means that their share in Internal Revenue allotment will most likely increase, as well.
With increased land territories, the LGUs’ land assets and value will likely increase, thereby luring more investment. This will translate to robust economic activity and more revenues for the local government, as well as national government.
More important, with more land area for development, LGUs can identify a potential area for land development for public or private housing projects, the construction of local government complex housing vital LGU offices, establish a new business district, or possibly, a vast economic zone for industries that will be a boost to the local economic development.
on the other hand, the warning signs that the threats of climate change are real and may happen sooner than expected, might bring tragic loss of lives and destruction to public and private properties, and huge losses in investment.