Group hits DENR for delay in assessing Manila Bay reclamation works

The ongoing reclamation of Manila Bay off Mall of Asia in Pasay City. INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

Members of a fisher’s group held a protest on Monday to criticize the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the delayed release of a study it commissioned on the impacts of reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

According to the Pambansang Lakas nag Kilusang Mamamalakaya nag Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the DENR in 2023 commissioned the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) “to conduct a comprehensive study on the cumulative impacts of reclamation activities in Manila Bay.”
However, the agency has yet to release its findings, prompting the group to conduct a protest in front of the DENR office in Quezon City.
“Why is the study commissioned by the DENR taking so long when it has already been proven by many experts and fisherfolk that reclamation activities have negative effects on the environment and people’s livelihood?” said Pamalakaya secretary general Salvador France.
The DENR, for its part, said that the report was still being finalized following a request by the UP MSI for an extension in its study. The agency announced on Sunday that the results of its cumulative impact assessment will be released within the first quarter of this year.

Petition for writ of kalikasan

Pamalakaya, together with Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment,
Pamalakaya filed petitions for a writ of kalikasan and continuing mandamus at the Supreme Court in December last year in an effort to put a stop to the reclamation projects in Manila Bay.
A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy that protects a person’s right to a balanced and healthy ecology regarding environmental damage that has affected residents of two or more cities or provinces.
A continuing mandamus is a remedy against government agencies or officials who neglect their duties of enforcing or flagging environmental laws.
Named as respondents were the DENR and the Philippine Reclamation Authority, which cleared and approved 13 reclamation applications in Manila Bay, according to Pamalakaya.
The group said these reclamation projects were “clearly illegal” and had “caused widespread damage to the environment and the livelihoods of fishermen.”
On Monday, Pamalakaya expressed its confidence in the UP MSI experts and anticipates that the cumulative impact assessment results will complement its call to halt the reclamation activities in Manila Bay.