Name 600 illegal reclamation projects, DENR urged

MANILA, Philippines - A partylist congressman on Tuesday urged Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje to identify the 600 illegal reclamation projects.

"The report of the DENR that there are existing 600 illegal reclamation projects all over the country is disturbing.

"As far as we are concerned there were only 102 applications for reclamation development pending before the Philippine Reclamation Authority and these reclamation projects are waiting for the issuance of Environmental Compliance Certificate to be issued by the office of Secretary Paje," Anakpawis representative Fernando Hicap said.

Hicap also questioned the issuance of ECCs given by DENR to land reclamation developers during the House Appropriation Committee hearing on the proposed budget of DENR for fiscal year 2014.

He said that while DENR had installed 1,039 CCTV cameras in DENR offices nationwide as part of its accomplishment in good governance, it never stopped massive reclamation projects.

He also urged Paje to refrain from issuing ECCs to large-scale reclamation developers.

The DENR is proposing a P23.359-billion of which P11.77 billion would go to Ecosystem Management Services that include the department’s budget for its National Greening Program amounting to more than P5 billion.

Citing a report by the fisherfolk group Pamalakaya, Hicap said the PRA is pursuing over 100 reclamation projects all over the country in joint partnership with private reclamation corporations and local government units.

The reclamation projects in Manila Bay include the controversial 675 hectare Las Piñas-Parañaque reclamation project, the 5,000 hectare land reclamation in Sangley Point in Cavite City and the 148 hectare reclamation project in Manila. - Dennis Carcamo