Sen. Cynthia A. Villar. Photo by Joseph Vidal, Senate PRIB/File

MANILA — Sen. Cynthia Villar on Tuesday flagged what she said was revived effort for a reclamation project along the Las Piñas and Parañaque side of Manila Bay, saying it could lead to "disastrous flooding" without a comprehensive study of its environmental impact.  

Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, said in a statement that there was a "renewed push" for reclamation in Manila Bay despite a temporary government ban. 

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She said an aggregate of 635 hectares on the Las Piñas and Parañaque side of Manila Bay is the subject of a new reclamation project, which she called "alarming" and warned could pose risks to the environment, the fisherfolk, and the residents.

Villar said the proposed reclamation has the potential to severely obstruct water flow from Parañaque, Las Piñas, Zapote, and Molino rivers. 

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"This could lead to disastrous flooding, especially with the onset of sea level rise as an effect of climate change," Villar said.

She said the project could also affect the livelihoods of coastal communities in Las Piñas, Parañaque, and Cavite.

The senator said the project would also affect the legislated protected area Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park, which she noted contributes to the seafood supply in the southern part of Metro Manila, the Camanava area, and Bulacan.

In August 2023, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) suspended all 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay, following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s order, pending a review of their environmental and social impacts.

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Environmental and civil society groups have been protesting reclamation projects along Manila Bay, which stretches from Cavite in southern Luzon to Bataan in Central Luzon, saying they increase the risk of flooding and will destroy marine and coastal habitats.

'MORE STUDIES NEEDED'

Villar said the renewed push for reclamation "unmasks the real agenda of personalities running for local posts vis a vis their care for the environment."

She did not name the project, but the senator has long opposed the Las Piñas-Parañaque Coastal Bay Reclamation Project, which the Supreme Court in 2021 ruled could proceed after petitioners — including Villar — had failed to show how the project threatens the environment.

The project has become an issue in city politics, with Las Piñas City Councilor Mark Anthony Santos, who is running for a House seat, pushing for the project to proceed.

"My stance remains that in dealing with reclamation projects, authorities must ensure that the chosen course of action is the most environmentally secure and resilient rather than just the most profitable," Villar, whose family businesses include real estate development, said.

She stressed that public consultations and a new study that looks at the cumulative effect of all other reclamations already approved must be conducted before reviving a reclamation project

She said it should be justified in light of the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Masterplan— which includes restoring natural habitats — and the Supreme Court's continuing mandamus to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay.

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