The National Economic and Development Authority said it needs to be part of discussions on the suspended reclamation projects in Manila Bay, citing their impact on the economy.
In a Palace briefing, Socioeconomic Planning chief Arsenio Balisacan said NEDA was not consulted on the issue.
“We have not been sought for advice yet or for our perspective but we’ll ultimately have to be involved. As you know, NEDA approves big infrastructure projects particularly those that will have an impact on the economy and society and in the case of Metro Manila, the whole of Metro Manila,” Balisacan said.
“We are not a party to the approval of these reclamation projects, but given the significance and importance in the socioeconomic landscape of Metro Manila, NEDA should be part of that exercise,” he added.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resource earlier announced that all 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay are under review and are deemed suspended — even the one that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned was allowed to continue.
“Actually, upon clarification with the President and you will see in the suspension, all are under review,” DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said all reclamation projects in Manila Bay except one have been suspended due to problems in their implementation but did not say what the exception was.
“Until we can get a very good sense of what scientifically is going to happen in this area, and until we can get a very good sense of how the rule of law can be followed in this area, we want to proceed with much caution,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.
“The declaration is really that all of these projects are suspended at this point. So all are under review; we have to take our time, really beginning with those that are ongoing because they’re in fact already impacting the areas and then we will graduate to all those in fact still not yet begun,” Loyzaga added.
The DENR said it has been conducting cumulative impact assessments on the reclamation projects to demonstrate their effects on Manila Bay. Yulo-Loyzaga said the administration understands the “intersection” between sustainable development and the environment.
“The role of DENR here is to stay within our mandate. We do have a mandate under the mandamus which is to rehabilitate Manila Bay to the point where people can actually swim and fish and that is an order we take very seriously,” she added.
