Duterte not inclined to approve proposed Manila Bay reclamation
MANILA, Philippines — Describing the scope of the proposals as "almost mind-boggling" and "stupefying," President Rodrigo Duterte said he is not inclined to approve the proposed Manila Bay reclamation projects if they do not have safeguards for the environment and public health.
"If it's an investment to infuse more money into the Philippine economy, it seems to be OK. But the hugeness of the area you are trying to reclaim, to me, is almost mind-boggling because that entire 10,000 hectares, it will be for...surely for habitation. There might be some offices and some residences," Duterte said in an interview aired over radio station dzMM Monday.
"I am not ready even to say that I will grant it, not in my time, as long as there is no guarantee that the environment will be protected and the health of the people also safeguarded," he added.
Duterte said an audit has to be conducted to determine whether the reclamation area could absorb the waste from the residences and offices that would occupy it. He noted that buildings should be connected to a water treatment facility.
"There has to be a concrete showing that the environment will be protected, otherwise I would say that I am not, I do not have the wherewithals, but that big, it's stupefying. It seems that I am not ready for that," the president said.
The proposed Manila Bay reclamation involves 25 projects that cover 10,000 hectares from Navotas City to Cavite.
At least four projects — the Navotas City coastal bay reclamation project, Pasay 360-hectare reclamation project, Pasay 265-hectare reclamation project and the Horizon Manila 418-hectare reclamation project — have been given notices to proceed, according to the Philippine Reclamation Authority.
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