The government should stop any reclamation projects in the Manila Bay and instead preserve the area’s rich ecosystem, as the body of water is home to the country’s sardine species, according to a nongovernment organization.
Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu believes strengthening coordination is also important.
Oceana Philippines (Oceana) urged President Duterte “to review and assess the projects submitted to the Philippine Reclamation Authority that will result in irreversible damage to our marine habitats.”
“We appeal to Duterte to stop all reclamation projects lined up in Manila Bay. This can be the legacy of your administration—that you were able to save the rich ecosystem of Manila Bay that carries national and natural heritage significance, especially with the discovery of this new sardine species in the Philippine waters,” Oceana Vice President Gloria Estenzo-Ramos said in a statement over the weekend.
Oceana said Manila Bay has been identified by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar) as a spawning area of sardines and remains to be one of the main fishing grounds of artisanal fishermen.
New species
CITING a recent peer-reviewed journal article by Japanese taxonomists, Oceana added that a new sardine species has been discovered in Manila Bay: Sardinella pacifica.
This could also be found in the waters of Quezon, Sorsogon and Samar, which has been found out to be endemic to the Philippines.
“Instead of dumping and filling our seas that bury and destroy mangroves, sea-grass beds, corals and other fisheries habitats, let’s collectively save and protect these from destruction because of so-called ‘development’ projects,” Ramos said.
“More importantly, let’s help our artisanal fishermen earn decent livelihood to feed their families from our rich marine resources that are known all over the world,” she added.
Ramos said reclamation projects in Manila Bay would displace artisanal fishermen and leave them without any income.
“These projects violate our Constitutional right to balanced and healthful ecology, as well as our fisheries and environmental laws. We are hoping that our government will listen to the people,” she said.
“They will be facing even more harm and danger than they are experiencing now as consequences of flooding, subsidence of our coastal communities and the climate crisis,” she added.
Cimatu’s call
CIMATU urged barangay leaders on Sunday to exercise political will and help clean up esteros and rivers that lead out to Manila Bay.
Cimatu said in a statement that “it is the leaders of every barangay who can solve the problem of heavily polluted Manila Bay.”
He recently met with leaders of barangay within the Manila Bay area as part of the ongoing Manila Bay rehabilitation effort.
Tasked to lead the Manila Bay Task Force, Cimatu has ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to plan the simultaneous river and esteros cleanup activity next week and is enjoining barangay leaders to take the lead.
“The cleanup of the bay rests on them. That is how much I trust them,” Cimatu said.
Leaders of more than 200 barangays surrounding the river systems of Pasig-Marikina-San Juan, Muntinlupa-Parañaque-Las Piñas-Zapote and Malabon-Tullahan-Tinajeros were present during the dialogue held at Bayview Park Hotel in Manila recently.
Aside from Cimatu, the meeting was also attended by other officials of the DENR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
During the dialogue, Cimatu reminded the barangay officials of their duty to enforce environmental laws, particularly the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.
“It is the responsibility of the local government units and the barangay captains to implement the environmental laws correctly,” the former Armed Forces chief said.
Coordination needed
CIMATU also offered assistance to the barangay officials in fulfilling their mandates, including the relocation of illegal settlers along esteros and rivers.
He told the officials of the need to coordinate with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development in ensuring the relocation of affected informal settler families (ISFs) before their houses are demolished.
“We will give them a chance to self-demolish or move to an appropriate relocation site,” Cimatu said.
There are some 230,000 ISFs in the Manila Bay region, around 56,000 of them live along its coast.
Cimatu urged barangay leaders to exercise political will in guarding against ISFs who would return to riverbanks and esteros despite being given relocation. “If they file a complaint against you, include me,” he said.
The DENR chief also enjoined them to take part in the simultaneous cleanup of esteros and rivers around Manila Bay scheduled on March 31. “Once and for all, we will clear the waterways of garbage,” Cimatu said.
“If barangay captains can harness the power of the people to do it, then there will be a show of force to clean up. Cleaning Manila Bay will be your most important mission as barangay captains,” he added.
Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas and Jonathan L. Mayuga