Hoodwinked

Then what we will be left with are ugly unutilized and uninhabited islands of dirty gray sand which will waft into our nostrils whenever a strong wind blows eastward

In a congressional hearing, DENR Sec. Toni Yulo Loyzaga was asked if there is a written order of suspension on the Manila Bay reclamation projects.

She replied that she had ordered work stoppage on the projects on the basis of the president’s verbal directive.

It is important to have a written order that would define which are the projects, and which are suspended, since the president had earlier said only one project has been reviewed and deemed compliant with environmental impact assessment.

Which is it?

The projects were individually assessed. Instead of studying the combined impact of all the 22 reclamation proposals that are now on various stages of implementation, and which have belatedly been suspended and only after the US Embassy complained.

Which means, if a project encompasses say a total 300 hectares, then that will not create a destructive environmental impact on the bay’s eco-system, from a stand-alone perspective.

But if PRA and the combined LGUs, along with their cohorts in DENR measured the impact of the totality, as Sec. Yulo-Loyzaga has stated, then the environmental effect is very different.

In street lingo, “ginoyo” tayo ng PRA and DENR, the present environment secretary excepted. The nearest descriptive in the English language is that those officials hoodwinked us all.

Now comes the PRA’s OIC who came up with the “literal” justification the projects constitute only some 5 percent of the entire Manila Bay which he says is all of 200,000 hectares, as if that 5 percent is in the middle of the bay from Bataan to Cavite, and not an eyesore that obstructs the everyman’s view of the bay and its fabled sunset, one of the free pleasures of living in this “brokedown” metropolis.

That’s trying to hoodwink us even more.

It will take many, many years before the developers will be able to construct the peripheral roads around the new islands where the common tao will be able to get a view of the sunset.

Meanwhile, that view will be confined to mountains of gray sand.

It should be interesting to find out when the individual projects were given their approval and notices to proceed by the PRA, and when the local governments concerned, whether Manila, Navotas, Pasay, Paranaque, Las Pinas, Bacoor, etc. gave approval to private developers on the basis of their municipal water jurisdictional authority, and thereafter apply with the PRA under the provisions of EO 74; and when the DENR, or whichever agency or instrumentality thereof, actually gave the ECC.

So, the local governments, whose view is always focused on more and greater real estate tax collections, on top of their share of the reclaimed land, went their merry way in approving reclamation proposals.

Then the PRA and the DENR gave their go-signal, almost all of the green lighting done in the last three or four years.

It is quite puzzling as well that as far as their website informs us, the PRA has no new chair and no new president, despite the fact that we are into the 14th month of the Marcos presidency.

In the early days of the new administration, people were already congratulating lawyer Ed Serapio who was rumored to be the Marcos appointee as chairman, and another lawyer, Jay Flaminiano, as the president of the PRA.

What happened?

Till now, it is Joseph Literal, an assistant GM, who is doing the explaining, but his responses give rise to more and more questions.

The massive sand reclamation that we are seeing are those of SM, in joint venture with Pasay City, which is supposed to be 390 hectares; another Pasay joint venture, that of mega-contractor Charlie Gonzales of Ulticon Builders who formed a new Pasay Harbor City project covering 265 hectares; the Manila Solar City project of 148 hectares fronting the Coconut Palace; and that of Waterfront Development of the Gatchalians, which is right in front of the dolomite beach of Roy Cimatu, and covers the foreshore of the US Embassy.

I do not know if the Bacoor project of the Tiu-Laurel family has started actual work, nor the Navotas reclamation approved by the Tiangcos.

As far as I know, the Solar City project fronting the Coconut Palace, got its joint venture with Manila as far back as when Fred Lim was mayor.

But jurisdictional issues due to overlaps with Pasay delayed the project. It was finally given the go-signal in 2021.

The same is true with the Ulticon and SM reclamation projects, as well as Gatchalians’ Waterfront development, which was approved by then Manila mayor Erap Estrada, along with the Horizon Manila reclamation project.

One will likewise recall that Pres. Duterte in his time stated that he was against any reclamation in the Manila Bay area, aware as he was that the Supreme Court, under a continuing “mandamus” writ, directed both the national and local governments to rehabilitate the bay and bring it back to its pristine level.

What happened to that stand? And why did the PRA approve despite that public avowal of the president then?

Certainly all these are not attributable to Pres. Marcos Jr., nor his DENR secretary, Mrs. Yulo-Loyzaga.

But some businessmen and even the renowned architect and urban planner Felino “Jun” Palafox have stated their fears that canceling the “approved” projects will have a negative effect on our investment climate.

It’s again a case of the sanctity of contracts and business unpredictability in our country.

That is the legal conundrum that government faces, because agencies under previous administrations, local and national, botched their responsibilities to safeguard our environment, and simply have no pride of place.

Now let us go to the “sunk costs” that the proponents will no longer be able to recover if their reclamation project is cancelled: One, if they have begun reclaiming, as SM, Ulticon, and Solar have, the first two in advanced stages, the losses would be quite big.

For those on the other hand who have yet to begin actual reclamation, the “sunk” cost will be the “padulas” or “pangiti” that they may have given to the officials who approved these, whether local government or the national agencies concerned.

Surely, these “pangiti” are way, way more than the value of a bunch of bananas, as in Binangonan.

To which many will simply say, “Beh, buti nga.”

On the other hand, given the world economic recession, especially in the target markets of the real estate speculators, which are China, South Korea and perhaps a sprinkling of other foreigners, there really might be very little profitability in their ventures.

Then what we will be left with are ugly unutilized and uninhabited islands of dirty gray sand which will waft into our nostrils whenever a strong wind blows eastward.

Sec. Yulo-Loyzaga, who is highly admired for being a no-nonsense official with a scientific mind, has now become the cynosure of public attention.

How she goes about identifying which are non-compliant, or at what point these projects are “much too much” such that they impact on the bay’s overall environment, the marine eco-system, the livelihood of fishermen, and even the historic and cultural considerations in an uglified metropolis, will be keenly watched.

May the force be with her!

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