'Laguna Lake rehab project should be based on merits'

MANILA, Philippines - Noting that the issue on the rehabilitation and dred­ging of the Laguna Lake goes beyond politics and vested interests, Laguna Gov. ER Ejercito asked President Aquino the other day to pass judgment on the project based on its merits.

In his 100 days report, President Aquino said he has suspended the P18.7-billion budget based on suspicion that it was tainted with anomaly.

But the project, proposed by a Belgian firm and backed by the Belgian government, has already been vetted by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima as “legally tenable.”

Respected economist and University of the Philippines Professor Solita Monsod has even said that President Aquino may have been misinformed or misled about the project.

Ejercito for his part, asked the President “to reconsider his thoughts” on the Laguna Lake rehabilitation and dredging project, hinting that the project is being derailed by lack of important information and consultation at the expense of the people.

“The province of Laguna is in full support of the project. We believe that this can help in the development of Laguna and help alleviate the plight of the masses that are constantly stricken by typhoons and floods,” he said.

Last year, hundreds of people lost their homes and billions of properties were damaged when tropical storm Ondoy hit Metro Manila and the nearby provinces with homes in Laguna and Rizal, submerged in water, among the hardest hit.

Those believing that the Laguna Lake needs to be saved after years of neglect and indifference have resulted to tons of garbage and other pollutants being dumped in the country’s third biggest lake.

Studies have shown that to maintain its holding capacity for rainwater, its depth has to be increased by dredging the pollutants, debris and siltation. The lake’s bottom has been identified as immediate solution to the problem.

Also, the shallow waters of Laguna Lake have been partly blamed for the destructive floods in the province and in Metro Manila.

Dredging succumbed to politics

“Laguna Lake is a problem that needs to be addressed. Flooding will continue to hit us if rehabilitation will not be implemented soon,” Ejercito said.

Sadly, he said the rehabilitation of Laguna Lake succumbed to politics. “This issue is being used as a battleground for those who have vested interest in the project. I want to believe that the President knows that the issue of Laguna Lake transcends politics and maneuvering from different sectors.”

In expressing his reservation on the project, Aquino said he was told that the dredged materials will only be transferred to another area. He said it would be pointless to spend billions of pesos in such a situation.

An environmental group involved in Laguna Lake rehabilitation, the Kilusang Lawa Kalikasan, echoed Monsod’s claim that Aquino was misinformed.

The group explained the silt and other materials that would be dredged from the lake would be placed in geotubes that would be placed on the lakeshore to act as a sieve for the water runoff. The silt would be treated to free it from pol­lutants.

Apart from sparing the province from constant flooding, Ejercito said the improvement of Laguna Lake will redound to the economic benefit of the people, including the other local governments sharing the Laguna Lake.

He stressed that the budget for the rehabilitation is a small price to pay for the billions of damages to business and properties and the hundreds of possible deaths and diseases because of flooding. 

Ejercito further pointed out that the improvement of Laguna Lake will also benefit the millions of people living in Metro Manila. “Laguna Lake can even be tapped as solution for the water shortage in Metro Manila.”