Solar City on Manila Bay/Miriam vs CP users

One day not long from now, you and I may wake up beholding a city risen from the waters of Manila Bay. No, it’s not going to be floating roofs and walls resulting from  dreadful floods. It’s going to be the Manila  Solar City, an ambitious project that is unique, delightful to imagine as coming true. The vision for such a dream project has long been presented by Goldcoast Development Corp., but opposition from environmentalists has put it on hold.

Now the hurdles are almost likely to have been overcome after Goldcoast has explained why Solar City should be finally built.

Let’s imagine how the city will look like – as explained by Goldcoast vice-chair Edmundo Lim, at a recent session of Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel.

Manila Solar City is the latest reclamation project along Manila Bay. The Cultural Center of the Philippines, Sofitel Hotel, the Marina — are among the structures lording it over reclaimed Manila Bay waters.  Solar City is different. It consists of three islands jutting out vertically to the sea from the area fronting the end of Quirino Highway between the Ospital ng Maynila and Aloha Hotel. It is not, as oppositors thought,  along the stretch that’s called the Baywalk, from the Manila Yacht club to the US Embassy.

On the three reclaimed islands measuring 148 hectares will be built five-star hotels, commercial and residential buildings, restaurants and shops, a people’s park, a 50-meter wide promenade, a series of structures for visual and performing artists like design labs, schools, theaters, museums and rehearsal studious. There will be no casinos, gaming, or gambling establishments.

And the famous Manila sunset will be seen unobstructed,  said Edmund.

The project, says Edmund, who represented his Goldcoast Development  partner William Tieng, is uniquely architecturally and environmentally planned. People will be walking on the  beautifully landscaped first level, and vehicles will be cruising on the second level driveways. The gardens will be a fascinating study for flora and fauna lovers. I don’t know, but tourists are likely to pick  vegetables and herbs from a garden that will supply the needs of the islands’ eating places.

As to the islands’ causing waters to rise and flooding Roxas Boulevard, Edmund said not so, as water will flow naturally on the spaces separating the islands and so, will not  rise up towards the boulevard.

The island will be fully lighted from a power house providing electricity 24/7. There will be no fear of brownouts, said Edmund. On the matter of security, CCTV cameras will be strategically located.

More fun is expected from an inland beach that allows people to swim and surf, with waterfalls and sand dunes simulating mini-Camiguin and Boracay islands.

An area is provided for a cruise terminal, allowing cruise ships to dock and unload tourists, expected to reach 2,500 persons per week.

Edmund proudly said Manila Solar City will do its own waste processing system out of wastes collected from the establishments on the islands. And, he added, it will have its own water treatment,  water storage,  and sewage treatment plants.

If all the environmental concerns are met, there should be no reason for a further groundbreaking delay.  I understand some private investors are raring to design their buildings according to MSC specifications.  After all,  as soon as the reclamation is completed, within two years, the national government will own 30.52 hectares worth P30.5 billion, and the city of Manila will own five hectares of buildable area worth P5 billion. Edmund said when the Manila Solar City is fully developed, Manila will have a real  estate tax base of P113 billion for land, and P580 billion for built-up properties, plus business permits and license fees. And the employment potential, continued Edmund, is from 250,000 to 500,000 jobs,in creasing a larger business and income tax base.

My media group would like to be one of the first to behold and enjoy the promises of MSC.

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I salute Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago for filing Senate Resolution No. 228, recommending the Senate to revise and update its rules on the decorum of its members and guests regarding the use of electronic devices during Senate sessions and committee hearings.

The senator’s recommendation came after media reports of legislators being caught on camera playing mobile games during committee hearings. “These gadgets can cause disruption and distraction during sessions and committee hearings,”  she said in a release issued by her media bureau. “Impairing decorum due to their abuse and misuse can be considered un-parliamentary acts.”

Santiago, according to the release, heeds  the call of her colleagues towards a “paperless” Senate,  but she also called for an immediate discussion to amend the Senate rules on the scope and limitations of the use of electronic and mobile devices by members of the Upper Chamber.

“The Senate rules should accommodate for the technologically determined changes in society, in this case the prevalent use of gadgets in everyday life. Despite troubling times for the Senate as an institution, the Senate should always maintain and observe a level of decorum this high office deserves,” the senator said. 

 Santiago is  strict about the use of handheld gadgets and electronic devices whenever she presides over public hearings by asking colleagues and guests to turn off or put their phones on silent.

Senator Santiago should go further by asking her colleagues not only in the Senate, but also in the House of Representatives, to stop walking around, or chatting among themselves while a colleague is delivering a speech on the floor. These acts  are plain and simple discourtesy towards a colleague.

In other countries, strict use of  electronic devices is observed, says the senator’s media bureau.  The French National Assembly, for example, allows the use of these devices in their chambers except during debates. The legislatures of Ireland and Greece do not allow electronic devices in their plenary hall. New Zealand legislative chamber prohibits the use of mobile phones, and the one in Finland prohibits laptop computers. Other legislatures, like the United States House of Representatives and the Parliament of United Kingdom, allow the use of electronic and mobile devices as long as long as they do not impair decorum. 

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