Villar appeals CA ruling on Manila Bay reclamation

MANILA, Philippines - Senator-elect Cynthia Villar has asked the Court of Appeals anew to grant her appeal to stop a P14-billion plan to reclaim land along the Manila Bay coastline covering the cities of Las Piñas, Parañaque and Bacoor.

In a motion, she asked the CA’s Third Division to reconsider its ruling last month dismissing her petition seeking the issuance of a temporary environmental protection order enjoining national government agencies from proceeding with the project, which would cover 635.14 hectares in submerged land.

She alleged that the CA “failed to orient itself properly when it disposed of the case,” raising doubts whether the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology had been considered in its full and proper context.

She reiterated that the project would cause environmental damage of such magnitude as to prejudice the life, health and property of residents of Las Piñas and Parañaque.

Villar also said the proposed project “impinges on the viability and sustainability of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA).”

LPPCHEA serves as a sanctuary to migratory bird species from as far as Siberia. According to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, the entire Metro Manila is host to 150 species of birds, 72 of which are found at LPPCHEA, the only bird sanctuary located in an urban setting.

The government declared LPPCHEA as a critical habitat in 2007. The sanctuary was also included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance in March.

“For an international treaty organization to recognize LPPCHEA’s global importance to biodiversity proves that the area is indeed a critical habitat and needs special protection from threats, including reclamation,” her pleading stated.

In its ruling, the CA division held that Villar failed to present evidence that would show a “causal link” between the project and the “catastrophic environmental damage feared (by the petitioner).”

The CA also ruled that the “apprehensions” of Villar “had been disproven by objective, expert and scientific studies of reputable entities with vast international experience.”