Magsasagawa ang Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ng isang community impact assessment para sa Manila Bay reclamation projects.
Ang aksyon ng DENR ay kasunod ng pahayag ng US Embassy na nababahala ito sa negatibong epekto sa kalikasan ang malawakang reclamation project sa Manila Bay at ang pagkakasangkot dito ng isang Chinese state-owned construction company.
“We are also concerned that the projects have ties to the China Communications Construction Co., which has been added to the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List for its role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea,”anang kalatas ng US Embassy kamakalawa.
“The company has also been cited by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for engaging in fraudulent business practices,” dagdag nito.
Sa ginanap na Malacañang Press Briefing kahapon, sinabi ni DENR Secretary Ma. Antonio Yulo-Loyzaga na magsasagawa ang kagawaran ng pagtatasa sa pakikipagtulungan sa ibang stakeholders mula sa mga apektadong pamayanan.
Layunin aniya nito ang mangalap ng mga impormasyon sa mga posibleng epekto sa kalikasan, ekonomiya at kultura ng mga komunidad na masasagasaan ng proyekto.
“We will be using the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan as a reference to the baseline condition for the Community Impact Assessment,” ani Loyzaga.
“We will also be consulting with experts from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, who have extensive experience in conducting community impact assessments for reclamation projects,” dagdag niya.
Binuo ang Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan ng administrasyong Duterte at nakapaloob dito ang ilang estratehiya para sa “rehabilitating and developing Manila Bay, including reclamation.”
“There are concerns not just expressed by the US Embassy but by others as well, not just for the ecology of the possible impacts to the ecology, but also for the cultural and historical impacts of the changes that could take place given the history of Manila Bay,” sabi ng kalihim.
Noong Pebrero 2023 ay inianunsyo ng Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) ang intensyong ilarga ang land reclamation sa isa sa dalawang in bay area projects ngayong taon.
Naipagkaloob ang permit sa mga naturang proyekto noong 2019 at 2021.
May 13 reclamation projects ang naaprobahan na nangangailangan ng halos 5,000 ektaryang lupa para sa Manila Bay.
