Two senators have cited reclamation as a cause for the massive flooding from the rainfall dumped by the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” enhanced by typhoon Carina.
"This I believe is the consequence of all the reclamation happening in Manila Bay," Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri lamented on Wednesday, July 24, the thigh-deep waters around the Senate office in Pasay City.
"Wala nang malabasan na flood water dito sa Pasay at Manila. Babaha at babaha na palagi dyan sa atin tuwing uulan ng malakas (Flood waters in Pasay and Manila have nowhere else to go. It will always flood there every time it rains hard)," he added.
He even called it "mala-Siargao" (like Siargao), the surfing capital of the Philippines.
Senator Joel Villanueva and his staff were also not safe from the flooding.
"Reclamation pa more," he said,
He said that for the past 2 years (including this year) there's a P1 billion flood control budget a day for the Department of Public Works and Highways alone.
"Please tell me if anyone here can see at least an improvement sa mga baha (in the flood control)," he stated.
"Oh well, more important right now is to secure our people and that they are all safe at may access sa food," he added.
Sen. Maria Lourdes "Nancy" Binay, in a separate statement, also pointed to the Manila Bay reclamation activities as one of the culprits behind the massive flooding.
"Ang patuloy na reclamation sa Manila Bay ay mas lalo pang nagpabigat ng pagbaha sa (The continuing reclamation activities in Manila Bay further aggravated the flooding in) Metro Manila, turning what should have been a protective measure into a contributing factor to its vulnerability," Binay said.