Hindi lang US Embassy ang umalma sa malawakang reclamation projects sa Manila Bay kundi maging ang 80 civil society groups.
Nanawagan ang 80 CSOs sa pamaalaan na ipatigil ang minadaling pag-aproba sa malawakang reclamation projects sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa na binalewala ang environmental safeguards na nakasaad sa 1987 Philippine Constitution at iba pang mga batas at regulasyon.
“We call on the Philippine government to immediately halt the irregular approval of these projects that will destroy the rich biodiversity in coastal and marine ecosystems of the country, our source of life and livelihood, particularly for the undernourished and impoverished coastal communities among our people,” sabi sa isang collective statement na ipinadala sa Senado at Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso at iba pang kaukulang ahensya.
Binatikos din ng mga grupo ang mga kaukulang lokal na pamahalaan na minadali ang pag-aproba sa mga naturang proyekto at hindi isinaalang-alang ang requirements para sa “regularity, transparency, accountability, and participation by public and private proponents” ng large-scale land reclamation projects gaya ng 174-hectare reclamation sa Dumaguete City coastline; 230-hectare reclamation sa Consolacion, Cebu; 100-hectare reclamation sa Minglanilla, Cebu at 23 reclamation projects sa Manila Bay na nasa iba’t ibang antas na ng development.
Sa kabila anila ng social justice provision sa Saligang Batas na nagbibigya ng preferential access sa mga mangingisda sa marine resources ng bansa , nagawa pa ring ilarga ang mga kahalintulad na proyekto.
“The Philippines is known as the center of the center of marine biodiversity as it is found at the apex of the Coral Triangle. However, this reputation may soon be lost with the wholesale approval of large-scale reclamation, aptly described as dump-and-fill projects all over the country,” sabi ng CSOs.
Direktang panganib anila ang reclamation projects sa food security at self-sufficiency ng mga residente malapit sa dagat.
“These projects will literally decimate their means of survival and adds to their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, which have to be factored in this time of the covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis,” dagdag nila.
Ipinarating din ng CSOs ang kanilang posisyon sa Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), Department of the Interior and Local Government DILG), League of Cities of the Philippines, at League of Municipalities of the Philippines.
