News release
February 4, 2019
Placing PRA under Office of the President to expedite Manila Bay reclamation – fisherfolk
Manila, Philippines — “It is only becoming more and more apparent that behind the efforts to rehabilitate Manila Bay is the Duterte government’s cynical plan to further privatize it in a form of an environmentally-destructive reclamation,” According to the fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA-Pilipinas) reacting to the move of President Rodrigo Duterte to transfer power of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to approve reclamation to the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), and placing the latter from the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the Office of the President (OP) through an Executive Order No. 74.
Although PAMALAKAYA supports rehabilitation of Manila Bay, the fisherfolk group said the Duterte’s recent move has only raised doubt from the fishing sector about the real score of the unprecedented government campaign to rehabilitate Manila Bay.
“This newly-signed executive order will hasten not only the approval of reclamation projects in Manila Bay and throughout the archipelago, but as well as the destruction of marine environment and displacement of fishing communities,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said.
PAMALAKAYA has recorded a total of 43 reclamation projects from the PRA that will cover almost 30,000 hectares of waters of Manila Bay, including the 3 reclamation projects recently approved by the local government of Manila.
“By signing the EO, the Duterte government openly admits to the public that the Manila Bay clean-up drive will only be a waste of public funds and government efforts because they will open the historic bay for business and commercial transformation afterwards,”
“We reiterate our position of support to the Manila Bay rehabilitation as long as we are assured that reclamation will not push through and that no single coastal family will be forcibly displaced from their community,” ended Hicap. ###
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