MANILA, Philippines – A study commissioned by the government has confirmed what fisherfolk and civil society groups have long been worried about: that Manila Bay reclamation projects harm fishing grounds and marine ecosystems.
The reclamation projects, seen as a solution to congested Metro Manila, will create 6,166 hectares of new land. These will create pressure on the environment equivalent to four central business districts in the next 30 years, said physical oceanographer Charina Repollo.
“Reclamation will block the natural flow of rivers into Manila Bay,” said Repollo. “This blockage triggers cascading physical, chemical, and biological changes affecting food resources, public health, and livelihoods.”
Repollo presented the results of the study at a press briefing on Wednesday, April 30, representing the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation. She is deputy director for research at the Marine Science Institute.
A team of 48 experts worked on the assessment, including oceanographers, divers, ecologists, geologists, chemists, environmental scientists, and urban and regional planners.
“Flooding, public health risk, biodiversity loss, and fisheries decline will worsen with the urbanization that reclamation is expected to bring,” Repollo’s presentation read.
The experts developed models for flood risk and water circulation. Reclamation, the study found, may increase flooding in lowland areas as it impedes the flow of water into Manila Bay.
Experts also assessed water quality and biological resources like fishing grounds and coral cover.
Pathogenic bacteria and toxic heavy metals observed in the vicinity of reclamation projects pose health risks to communities.
Dredging activities and land reclamation also reduce fishing grounds, according to the study. This impact compels fishers to go farther looking for catch, thus adding to costs and decreasing their income.
Mangrove forests, which protect coastal areas from storm surges and serve as nursery grounds for fish, are threatened. An example shown was the Bacoor Bay mangrove forest at risk because of proposed Bacoor Bay reclamation projects.
But Repollo emphasized that Manila Bay remains alive. It still provides food and income for coastal communities.
Surveys in Mariveles, Corregidor Island, and Carabao Island showed 51 coral genera and 167 fish species. While hard coral cover is assessed as poor to fair, “it still has strong potential for recovery.”
In 2023, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced that they were commissioning experts to study the cumulative impact assessment of Manila Bay reclamation projects.
Shortly after that, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended approved projects pending the result of the study.
A plea to local governments
Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga said on Wednesday that the study gives their agency a baseline for Manila Bay’s rehabilitation.
This legal mandate comes from a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 which ordered 13 government agencies to make Manila Bay waters clean and safe for swimming, skin-diving, and other recreation activities.
Loyzaga said she recognized that reclamation had been a tool for development in other countries, but that it should be approached in an “integrated and holistic” manner.
She emphasized the need for the cooperation of local governments, who are the proponents of the projects.
“Lahat po ma-re-review given the findings,” said Loyzaga. (Every project will be reviewed given the findings.)
The environment secretary said the proposals for the reclamation projects “did not incorporate hazards such as movement in the Manila Trench, possible tsunami, climate change considerations.”
“LGUs must then work with us in order to examine the viability of these specific projects in a community fashion rather than an individual project basis,” Loyzaga said. Aside from local governments, Loyzaga said they are going to work with the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) as well.
The results come months after environmental and fisherfolk groups asked the Supreme Court to review if the PRA and the DENR violated their mandates by failing to assess risks of seabed quarrying and reclamation in the Bay.
Two reclamation projects in Manila Bay are ongoing. Twelve have been approved, while seven have been proposed. – Rappler.com