Destroying a lake

Pre-COVID, I used to enjoy the scenic drive through Circumferential Road 6. From Lower Bicutan in Taguig to the talipapa at the border of Pasig and Taytay, Rizal, there were good views of Laguna de Bay.

C-6 made Angono and Antipolo City plus the sprawling flea markets and penoy-balut wholesalers of Taytay, Rizal easily accessible from southern Metro Manila. Bikers and joggers used the concrete lane constructed by the lake.

As the road winds toward Rizal, it crosses a bridge spanning the Pasig River, at a junction that used to offer a terrific view of the lake. That area would have been a good spot for recreational boat rides; the Thais wouldn’t have missed that opportunity for tourism.

There was a floating restaurant area in Lower Bicutan that was popular even before C-6 was built, serving grilled seafood presumably caught fresh from the lake plus a wide array of barbecued meats. Huts on the lake were rented out for events.

Like most businesses during the pandemic, that “dampa”-style dining area became a ghost town, especially after COVID isolation facilities were set up nearby.

Post-COVID, the lake view started being marred by a growing carpet of water lilies. Before someone could alert Cynthia Villar to deploy artisans to turn the water lily into slippers, bags and even gowns, reclamation began beside the already reclaimed area on which C-6 was constructed.

The reclamation expanded without let-up, rapidly, with even unsightly, highly polluting cement batching plants allowed to operate on the newly reclaimed area. The lake view from the road disappeared all the way to Taytay.

Today what you see along C-6 is that ugly reclaimed area, with water lily peeking out at certain spots. At least the wholesalers of my favorite penoy-higop and balut sa puti have not yet been displaced by more reclamation.

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Laguna de Bay augments potable water supply in Metro Manila, and supplies much of the bangus or milkfish and tilapia in the metropolis. Pollution from the cement plants alone can be toxic to the lake fish.

One area of the lake is harnessed for hydropower in Laguna. And the lake plays a role in flood control. C-6 itself is supposed to function as a dike against flooding. Isn’t that function compromised by the massive land reclamation?

I’ve always wondered who green-lighted those ugly reclamation projects in one of the country’s most important bodies of water.

In the past years, STAR reporters asked the Laguna Lake Development Authority and its mother agency the Department of Environment and Natural Resources about the reclamation. The reporters were told that the LLDA and DENR did not clear the reclamation projects, and that the agencies had faced strong pushback from those responsible when environment concerns were raised.

Thanks to bitter political warfare, we now have some idea of why those environmental regulatory bodies were disregarded in projects with such heavy impact on the ecosystem of a vital lake.

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Sen. Panfilo Lacson has tagged the local government of Taguig in the reclamation activities, which he said were classified as slope protection or seawalls for flood control.

The reclamation was not cleared with the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).

Apparently, the Department of Public Works and Highways also played a role in the implementation. A stretch of C-6 was walled off by the DPWH, blocking all view of the lake and the reclamation activities.

All rotten infrastructure projects in this country, it seems, bear the dirty imprint of the DPWH.

The Taguig projects drew the attention of Lacson, former chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, after he was accused by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano of having unexplained wealth.

Lacson will probably shrug off accusations against him of gross human rights violations. But when his integrity is questioned, he responds like a wounded pit bull. And when this pit bull bites, he refuses to let go.

The PRA has stressed that it began investigating the Laguna de Bay reclamation project long before the feud erupted between Lacson and Cayetano. But Lacson surely speeded up the probe, possibly with some help from Cayetano’s estranged brother Lino, a former mayor of Taguig who is now general manager of state-run PTV4.

Lacson has flagged 32 reclamation projects in Taguig’s lakeshore area disguised as flood control projects, which he said were allocated over P14 billion in public funds between 2020 and 2025.

Alan Peter Cayetano has defended the reclamation projects in his home turf as necessary for flood control.

The PRA has confirmed initiating forfeiture proceedings involving the illegally reclaimed areas. A cease-and-desist order is also expected to be issued for ongoing reclamation activities.

But the massive area so far reclaimed already sits in the lake. Can it still be destroyed to restore the health of Laguna de Bay?

I’m afraid the damage is irreversible, and that picturesque pre-COVID lake view from C-6 is lost forever.