The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has stood its ground and said that there are 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay, not 13 as claimed by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).

During a television interview on Aug. 14, PRA Assistant General Manager Joseph John M. Literal said there are only 13 reclamation projects in Manila Bay, and 22 nationwide.

“[There are] 22 [reclamation projects] for Manila Bay AREA---that total includes ongoing, those with permits, and those still in the paperwork/permit stage,” the DENR said on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

“When you talk of Manila Bay, you refer to a huge area from Region IV-A, NCR (National Capital Region) and Region III,” it went on.

The environment department clarified that “the subject of the suspension are the 22 in the Manila Bay area, and not the entire Philippines.”

The suspension covers 15 projects in NCR and seven in Region IV-A or Calabarzon, it added.

In addition, the DENR noted that not all the 22 Manila Bay reclamation projects have permits, Environmental Compliance Certificates or ECCs, and other regulatory requirements.

The DENR has earlier announced that all the 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay are suspended pending review after a meeting with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.

On Aug. 13, fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) claimed that dredging activities intended for reclamation continue in Cavite.