The Netherlands allots P75M for Manila Bay master plan

TARLAC: The Netherlands has allotted P75 million for the completion of the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan (MBSDMP) as part of its commitment to cooperation with the Philippines.

Dutch Ambassador to the Philippines Marion Derckx, in a statement, assured coastal towns in Bulacan and Pampanga that her technical assistance in drafting the plan for the entire 190-kilometer stretch of Manila Bay.

“The commitment of my government is to help craft a good master plan, a framework, to develop the whole coast of the Manila Bay. We are ready to provide technical assistance and if needed, partly provide financing,” Derckx said.

On top of the grant is the Philippine counterpart fund of P250 million.

Earlier, both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) that cements their cooperation on the sustainable development and management of the Manila Bay area.

Socio-economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia and Derckx signed the MoU in a ceremony held at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)

Under the MoU, the two governments will work together toward the formulation of the MBSDMP, which aims to provide a comprehensive framework for the sustainable development and management of the entire harbor.

The master plan is envisioned to guide future decisions on programs and projects to be undertaken.

“We are fortunate to have the Dutch with us in this endeavor. Their extensive knowledge and experience in implementing programs and projects that protect vulnerable coastal zones are unparalleled,” Pernia, in a NEDA report, said.

Living at or below sea level, the Dutch are known for their integrated and innovative solutions in coastal management that mimic natural systems instead of working against them.

Preliminary activities for the master planning exercise began in 2015 when the Philippine government requested The Netherlands to dispatch a group of Dutch Disaster Risk Reduction experts to Manila to conduct a scoping mission aimed at identifying and assessing the current situation in the Manila Bay area and recommend measures for its sustainable development.

After the mission, the Dutch for a framework for the area’s development and management.

These findings prompted the Philippine government to appropriate P250 million under Fiscal Year 2017 NEDA budget for the formulation of the master plan.