Senator Cynthia Villar has expressed concern over reclamation projects being pursued despite the lack of comprehensive study on their environmental impact.

Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, said a renewed push for the reclamation of an aggregate of 635 hectares on the Las Piñas and Parañaque side of Manila Bay is alarming. She reiterated her stand that the project poses risks to the environment, the fisherfolk, and the residents.

The proposed reclamation, according to Villar, has the potential to severely obstruct water flow from four rivers, namely the Parañaque, Las Piñas, Zapote, and Molino rivers.

“This could lead to disastrous flooding, especially with the onset of sea level rise as an effect of climate change. Moreover, should the reclamation project proceed, it would also drastically affect the daily lives of coastal residents and significantly jeopardize the livelihood of fisherfolks across Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Cavite,” Villar said.

The project will affect the legislated protected area Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park, a prime site for fish spawning, which contributes to the seafood supply in the Southern National Capital Region, the CaMaNaVa region, and Bulacan, Villar added.

Villar said she was saddened that some parties are pushing reclamation despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement suspending reclamation projects in Manila Bay. She said this issue unmasks the real agenda of personalities running for local posts vis a vis their care for the environment.

“My stance remains that in dealing with reclamation projects, authorities must ensure that the chosen course of action is the most environmentally secure and resilient rather than just the most profitable,” she stressed.

She said before reviving the project, at the very least, public consultations and a new study that looks at the cumulative effect of all other reclamations already approved must be conducted.

She said project revival must be justified in light of the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Masterplan, which includes the restoration of natural habitats; and the Supreme Court’s continuing mandamus to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay.