By Erma Edera The Manila City government stands to earn at least P50 billion in revenue from the 148-hectare Solar City reclamation project, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said during the Manila City Development Council Convention held at the Manila Hotel over the weekend. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada (Linus Escandor/Manila Bulletin File Photo) Estrada said the project is expected to start early next year and seen to generate more than 500,000 jobs once the Philippine Reclamation Authority issued a notice to proceed for the multibillion-peso project. The project would also occupy around 3.5 kilometers of Manila Bay’s shoreline, the biggest reclamation project between the Manila-Pasay border in the south and Roxas Boulevard in the east. “Not only will these reclamation projects substantially increase the revenues of our city, it will also generate approximately 500,000 new jobs for our residents,” Estrada said. “The revenue share of each barangay will also increase to P15 million after more than five years,” he added. Estrada saidManila has the highest poverty incidence in the National Capital Region because most of the residents are jobless, based on the study made by professors from University of the Philippines,. “So in a sense, these reclamation projects are the answer to our prayers. We will be able to provide decent jobs opportunities to our citizens,” he said. Meanwhile, the project would also expand city’s social services.