Government warned against scrapping bay reclamation projects

MANILA, Philippines — A member of the House of Representatives cautioned yesterday the Marcos administration against totally stopping the suspended reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

“The government is losing so much because of the suspension (of reclamation projects). Our estimate is this can go as high as P432 billion within five years, especially since most of these are one-time transactions,” Albay Rep. Joey Salceda told reporters.

“As far as we can see, the prospects are good that these reclamation projects can generate more jobs for us,” Salceda, chairman of the House ways and means committee, said.

Salceda said reclamation projects are not necessarily a bane to a country’s development, as advanced economies “such as Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore have shown.”

He noted that reclamation is a standard practice in the world’s largest and most successful cities.

“Twenty percent of what used to be Tokyo Bay has been reclaimed to accommodate the growing needs of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Twenty-two percent of the total land area of Singapore is reclaimed,” he said.

Salceda said reclamation is inevitable when developing large metropolitan cities bound by the sea.

“Metro Manila is now the world’s most densely populated megacity,” he said.

President Marcos suspended all 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay pending review of their compliance with environmental regulations. Environment advocates have called for the scrapping of the projects.