To help address perennial flooding in Bulacan and Central Luzon, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has embarked on a massive mangrove planting — with crab growing program on the side — in Bulacan, the site for its P735-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project.

In a statement yesterday, SMC said it will grow 100,000 mud crabs monthly at its 10-hectare mangrove plantation site in Hagonoy, one of the lowest-lying areas in Bulacan province.

The mangrove planting program is part of SMC’s flood-mitigation plan ahead of the construction of the NMIA, the country’s newest and largest international gateway. The construction is scheduled in October.  

“These flood mitigation measures are all integral to airport development. It’s very important to address these environmental concerns before investing over P700 billion for the airport," said SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang.

SMC’s airport project will feature four parallel runways and a provision for two more, as well as a world-class terminal, supported by a transport system.  

The airport is expected to accommodate up to 100 million passengers yearly.

Right now, Hagonoy is one of the priority areas of SMC’s massive mangrove planting program.

“Along with our goal to help address flooding through the planting of mangroves in these priority areas identified by the Department of Environment of Natural Resources (DENR), we are seeding 100,000 mud crabs monthly at Hagonoy’s mangrove plantation area to help boost the country’s  mud crab production,” Ang said.

Mud crabs are considered a culinary delicacy in many restaurants and hotels in both local and international markets, making it a foreign exchange earner and a major source of livelihood for fishermen and fishpond owners in the country.

“These mangrove areas are a good breeding ground for mud crabs and will provide the local government unit of Hagonoy, fishermen, local entrepreneurs, and rural communities with a sustainable source of income given the mud crabs' high-income potential,” Ang further said. 

In total, 190,000 mangroves will be planted in the coastal areas covering Bulacan and Central Luzon as part of this project. 

The first 8,000 of the 25,000 mangroves were already planted in three hectares in Hagonoy’s Barangay Tibaguin last July 29, with the remainder expected to be completed within the year.

In July, it was reported that some staff of SMC already began telling fishing communities in Bulacan to self-dismantle their homes to pave way for the NMIA project, but people are refusing to leave their homes, according to international advocacy group Oceana.

In an earlier statement, Oceana Vice President Gloria Estenzo Ramos pointed out that SMC can't start the project as it has not yet secured an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for its actual construction.

When asked about this, Environment Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said ECC “was issued a long time ago for the land development” of the project, but he also said a separate environmental permit is still needed for the “structure” of the airport which SMC has not yet secured.