DENR probes grant of compliance certificates to Manila Bay reclamation projects
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Wednesday said it is investigating potential irregularities in the issuance of environmental compliance certificates to reclamation projects in Manila Bay that could endanger coastal habitats, marine life and communities.
“We’re currently investigating how these ECCs were processed, if there were misdeeds or any kind of infraction in terms of the rules,” DENR chief Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga told the appropriations committee of the House of Representatives.
Yulo-Loyzaga was responding to a question from Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Party-list) about whether the agency has plans to impose sanctions on officials who granted ECCs for reclamation projects.
“We will certainly look into possible sanctions. However, at this point, our emphasis is really on reviewing the ECCs and their conditions, of which I have to say there are many and substantive conditions that are actually positive in terms of environmental management,” she said.
The environment chief noted that an ECC is not a permit, but a planning tool. “It is dynamic and maybe changed at any point when a correction is made and a management issue needs to be addressed.”
The government suspended 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay pending a review of their environmental and social impacts. The DENR is forming a group of scientists who will evaluate the cumulative impacts of reclamation activities.
The suspension of dump-and-fill projects came days after the United States expressed concern about a reclamation project linked to China Communications Construction Company, a firm that Washington blacklisted for its role in constructing and militarizing islands in the South China Sea.
Collective effort
Kabataan’s Manuel said that the environment department had “failed in the past” in safeguarding Manila Bay—an important fishing ground and waterway.
“We can’t just proceed without acknowledging errors in the past,” he said.
Responding to the lawmaker’s statement, Yulo-Loyzaga said that the DENR “is not solely responsible for many failures” in the protection of Manila Bay. She noted that preserving Manila Bay must involve the entire government and society.
In 2008, the Supreme Court issued a mandamus directing 13 government agencies to rehabilitate Manila Bay and make its waters fit for swimming and other recreational activities.
“In our view, there is a contradiction between the reclamation and the rehabilitation of the bay if a cumulative impact assessment is not conducted to mitigate the possible impacts of the changes in the environment that reclamation activities may cause,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.
The cumulative impact assessment covers all dump-and-fill projects in Metro Manila and neighboring Cavite province, and all activities related to reclamation. Over the weekend, groups reported seeing dredging ships off Cavite despite the suspension order.
The New Manila International Airport in Bulacan is not included in the suspension order and the government’s cumulative impact assessment. The project of conglomerate San Miguel Corporation is built over barangays in Bulakan town, covering mangrove and mudflat ecosystems.
The DENR, however, said it will continue monitoring the compliance of the airport project with environmental regulations.
Not just in Manila Bay
Members of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) and Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment held a protest Wednesday to demand the immediate revocation of environmental permits granted to reclamation and dredging activities in Manila Bay.
PAMALAKAYA national chairperson Fernando Hicap said the fishers whose livelihoods were disrupted by the reclamation projects should be compensated and the damaged fishing grounds should be rehabilitated.
The government should also halt reclamation projects in Sorsogon, Cebu, Negros island and Palawan, the fishers' group said.
A coalition of groups advocating for the protection of Verde Island Passage earlier urged the Marcos administration to stop coastal reclamation activities along the marine corridor for the construction of liquefied natural gas terminals and power plants
Under the proposed budget for 2024, the DENR will be getting P24.57 billion—an increase from its budget of P23.29 billion under the 2023 General Appropriations Act.
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