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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PBBM must dig deeper into PH reclamation projects, says Recto

PBBM must dig deeper into PH reclamation projects, says Recto

Published Aug 10, 2023 01:01 pm

At A Glance

  • President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. needs to do a lot of digging regarding reclamation projects in the entire country, and not just in Manila Bay, Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto said. 

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House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto (Facebook)

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. needs to do a lot of digging regarding reclamation projects in the entire country, and not just in Manila Bay, Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto said.

"There is a gold rush in reclamation. President BBM has every right to sift through the sand and find out which are beneficial to the people, the government, the economy, and which are not," Recto said in a statement Thursday, Aug. 10.

"To get to the bottom of reclamation projects, the President has got serious digging to do," underscored the House deputy speaker.

According to Recto, Marcos' decision to pause the Manila Bay reclamation activities "give[s] him time to sift through the mountain of reclamation applications approved and proposed".

"Reclamation per se is not bad. Netherlands is built on land reclaimed from the sea. Tiny Singapore enlarged its real estate footprint through judicious reclamation. Manila port, Roxas Boulevard, the CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) Complex were once under water," he noted.

"But due to ecological impact it creates, which could ripple inland if it causes a dam effect that could seasonally flood low lying communities, reclamation project is held to a higher bar of standards and compliance," pointed out Recto.

He further said that, when it comes to reclamation projects, the public benefit must be "clear from the onset, not just for now but for future generations to enjoy, through revenue streams that appreciate with the value of land".

As per Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) data, approved and proposed - up and running and up and coming - reclamation projects cover 25,120 hectares, "or 433 times the size of Luneta", said the former Senate President Pro Tempore.

As of Dec. 9, 2022, the PRA, using its own classification, said reclamation in 2,422 hectares are deemed “approved projects”; 3,517 hectares are “approved projects with PRA permit”; 3,345 hectares under “Transitory Provision of Executive Order 74”; 2,489 hectares have been “pre-qualified under E.O 74”; and 13,347 hectares “in the pipeline under [Executive Order] 74".

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