Rather than pushing through with reclamation projects, Senator Cynthia Villar said on Wednesday, July 31, that decongesting Metro Manila is a viable option for development.

"Marami namang lupa sa ibang lugar e. Di naman kailangan tambakan ang dagat para magkaroon ng development kasi andami nating probinsiya na andami ngang lupa, walang use (There's plenty of land in other areas. There's no need to dump the oceans for development since in the provinces, there's a lot land that's not utilized)," she said during the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel.

According to the senator, there's an effort from the government to decongest Metro Manila as part of an economic policy which can be evident in the growth of Southern and Central Luzon.

Villar has been against reclamation, particularly in Manila Bay mainly because of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, a legislated protected area and part of the 8 Ramsar sites in the country under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.

The senator also mentioned the local government units (LGUs) play a vital role in the fight against reclamation.

"Mabigat talaga ang laban ng reclamation sa Manila Bay kasi mga influential din yung mga proponent, mahirap din labanan (The fight against Manila Bay reclamation since influential people are proponents, it's hard to go against it)," she said.

"I think you have to have the heart to do it. Tayo dapat magkasama-sama na lahat tayo magtutulong-tulong kasi kung kaunti lang ang lalaban, I think mahihirapan (We should unite together and help each other because if only people will fight it, I think it will be hard)," she added.

She also agreed with Senators Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri and Joel Villanueva who blamed the Manila Bay reclamation as one of the reasons for the massive flooding in Metro Manila. The 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.

Villar expressed her belief that if such projects are for the benefit of the people, the people have the right to stop anything causing harm to them.

"Paano kung nagbigay ng permit na mali? Ibig mong sabihin we will just suffer in silence? Di na tayo kikibo? (What if they have an erroneous permit? Do you mean we will just suffer in silence? We will not do anything)?" she said.