Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to thoroughly review ongoing reclamation projects around Manila Bay, with a focus on their ecological and engineering impact.
During a recent budgetg hearing for DENR, Cayetano noted that while the department is responsible for environmental studies, it also needs to pay attention to engineering factors.
The government must ensure sustainability, as it spends billions on reclamation and related projects, like the Bulacan airport. He also highlighted the need for better planning for bodies of water, especially in Laguna Lake, to prevent overcrowding in Metro Manila.
Cayetano recalled past issues with reclamation, including flooding that led the public to blame these projects. He requested Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga to bring these concerns to the Cabinet Cluster.
“We always put first the projects na economically and financially viable, then to follow na lang y’ung environmental aspect… Pero hindi naman palaging nacoconsider ang environmental aspect. Dapat po kasi DENR ang mauna [sa process],” the senator from Taguig concluded.IMT
