By Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte is determined to prevent Metro Manila from getting "killed" by massive reclamation projects proposed by private developers.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The President has voiced anew his opposition to private sector-initiated proposals to reclaim lands along Manila Bay due to concerns these might destroy the environment and lead to the suffering of the people. Duterte made the statement after revealing the intense fighting over Manila Bay reclamation efforts worth "billions and billions” during his public address last Friday.
"Kita mo itong land registration? Nag-away-away na sila kasi 1,000 hectares. Mayayari tayo nito. Eh reclamation, marami nang away. Pera eh. Mga 1,000 reclamations, that's billions and billions (Notice the land registration? They are fighting over 1,000 hectares. We will suffer. Fighting has been intense over the reclamation. There are 1,000 reclamations. That’s billions and billions)," he said in his public address last Friday.
"But in the process, you will kill the entire Metro Manila. Mahihirapan na ang tao doon (The people will have a hard time) and even the canals will no longer have the egress and ingress of water, let alone the absence of the water treatment," he said.
Back in February, the President declared he would not allow reclamation projects initiated by private companies in Manila Bay due to its environmental impact on the metropolis. Duterte has advised potential investors to just wait for his successor.
"If I do that, of which I am wont to do, I will choke Manila. The entire Manila City will be environmentally at peril. So, pag-aralan ninyong mabuti ‘yan. (Study them carefully). For the next administration, whoever gets to be the President of this country, study it very carefully. Because with Manila there, that old city is an old city and it will decay if you add so many things in front of Manila Bay," Duterte said during a visit to Sangley airport in Cavite last February.
The Philippine Reclamation Authority had earlier disclosed four proposed reclamation projects in Manila, such as the Navotas City Coastal Bay Reclamation Project, Pasay 360-Hectare Reclamation Project, Pasay 265-Hectare Reclamation Project, and the Horizon Manila 418-Hectare Reclamation Project.
Duterte previously admitted that he placed the reclamation agency under the Office of the President after learning about the supposed lobbying for certain projects.
"I got it back because I heard that everybody was lobbying for it and it came to my attention that we have this project and every Tom, Dick, and Harry in town was following up. Sabi ko (I said) no," he said.
READ MORE: Program for Manila Bay rehabilitation launched online