MANILA, Philippines — There should be a moratorium on the construction of ongoing and pending reclamation projects in the archipelago to prevent the destruction of marine ecosystems and coastal communities, green and fishers’ groups said Wednesday.
Organizations under People’s Network for the Integrity of Coastal Habitats and Ecosystems (People’s NICHE) issued the call as they welcomed the moratorium on new applications for reclamation projects.
ABS-CBN reported that the Philippine Reclamation Authority will no longer accept any new applications for reclamation projects in the Philippines due to concerns about the impacts of landfilling.
This moratorium, however, does not cover the 22 reclamation projects that have been processed. These include the San Miguel Corp.’s New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan, groups said.
“We demand that the ongoing and pending reclamation projects be unequivocally revoked. These approved projects are too many and destructive for our marine ecosystems and coastal communities,” said fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), a member of People’s NICHE.
“What good is a moratorium on new applications if existing ones continue to ravage our marine environment and the livelihood of fisherfolk?” it added.
People’s NICHE also urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to cancel all Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) granted to ongoing reclamation projects. They also called for a review of the ECC issuance process and support for more robust scientific studies into the socio-economic and ecological impacts of reclamation.
Scientists and environmentalists said that reclamation would lead to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. These would result in the decline in fish catch and loss of livelihood among fishers, and would threaten the country’s food security.
They added that building infrastructure in reclaimed areas would expose coastal communities to storm surge, land subsidence and liquefaction.
The DENR conducted this week an experts’ forum aiming to review and enhance government policies on reclamation.