PARTY-LIST lawmakers want to make sure that the implementation of the Laguna Lakeshore Express-
way Dike (LLED) project would not adversely affect the livelihood and settlements of communities along the shoreline of Laguna de Bay.
“The LLED project, as envisioned by the Department of Public Works and Highways, should provide a high-standard highway-cum-dike that will facilitate traffic flow and mitigate flooding in the western coastal communities along Laguna de Bay, from Bicutan, Taguig City, in Metro Manila through Calamba to Los Baños cities in Laguna,” Party-list Reps. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III and Angelina L. Katoh of Akbayan, authors of House Resolution (HR) 2392, said the resolution, titled “A Resolution Directing the Committee on Public Works and Highways and Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources to Jointly Conduct an Inquiry, in Aid of Legislation, on the Status of the Implementation of the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike Project and its Impending Adverse Impact on the Livelihood and Settlement of the Communities Which Live Along the Shoreline of the Laguna Lake.”
The LLED, the authors said, is the biggest public-private partnership (PPP) projects under the Aquino administration, with the total project cost of P122.811 billion.
The project, they said, has two components—the construction of the Expressway Dike running from Taguig to Los Baños and the reclamation of 700 hectares of land in Taguig City and Muntinlupa City.
“Several communities will be affected by the said project, including 12 barangays in Taguig, as well as towns of Laguna thattouch the shoreline of the Laguna Lake—all of which depend on fishing as their primary livelihood,” the authors pointed out.
They also noted that Laguna Lake is a major contributor to the fishing industry, with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources reporting that 140,426 metric tons of fish are sourced from the lake (2010), which is 17 percent of the country’s national production and 58 percent of Southern Tagalog’s municipal fisheries production.
Likewise, apart from limiting the area for fishing to 500 meters, the construction of the dike would obstruct the location and condition of fish pens and fishing grounds, which would lead to a significant decrease in fish production, as well as a decrease in income for the fishermen.
“The project threatens not just the fishing industry, but also the displacement of around 80,000 urban poor households which have settled near the Laguna Lake and depend on it for food and other forms of livelihood,” the lawmakers further explained.
The inquiry, the authors stressed, would afford an avenue to consult affected communities and hear their views about the project.
“No avenues for consultation with the affected communities were provided, and despite efforts of the affected to communicate their insights and set up dialogues regarding the project, reclamation activities have already begun in six barangays if Taguig City,” the lawmakers added.
“We have to make sure the communities along the route of the project will not be left at the losing end,” they concluded.