February 8, 2019
Greenresearch joins the urgent calls about the Manila Bay:
NO to the reclamation of the Manila Bay!
YES to the rehabilitation of the Manila Bay!
Greenresearch Executive Director, Patria Gwen M.L. Borcena, an environmental sociologist who was one of the civil society representatives-members of the Planning Committee (PC) for the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) for both the Aquino and Duterte administrations, reminds the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Manila Local Government officials and other concerned policy makers:
Given our country’s vulnerability to climate change, economic development blueprint for Manila should place a high premium on the conservation, protection, and rehabilitation (CPR) of the environment and natural resources (ENR) towards sustainable development, so that the city will be more climate-resilient and very equipped to lessen the occurrence of major disasters and handle these effectively and efficiently if these occur.
The development, utilization and management of the natural capital in Manila and other parts of the country should be guided by the precautionary principle, environmental impact assessment (EIA), cost-benefit analysis/economic valuation studies, as well as a national industrialization plan which will rationalize the extraction and use of natural resources towards nationalist industrialization.
Thus, the ecology of the Manila Bay should not be sacrificed for the pursuit of short-term gains or profits.
As stated in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’: On the Care for Our Common Home:
“The protection of the environment is in fact “an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it.” (Laudato Si, No. 141)
Sustainable development does not necessarily mean balancing economic agenda and environmental protection. As stressed by this green encyclical:
“It is not enough to balance, in the medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation of the environment with progress. Halfway measures simply delay the inevitable disaster. Put simply, it is a matter of redefining our notion of progress. A technological and economic development which does not leave in its wake a better world and an integrally higher quality of life cannot be considered progress. Frequently, in fact, people’s quality of life actually diminishes – by the deterioration of the environment, the low quality of food or the depletion of resources – in the midst of economic growth. ((Laudato Si, No. 194)
Thus, instead of pushing for the establishment of a “Manila Solar City” catering to the interests of foreign tourists, transnational corporations, and a few local elite in the business sector, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and the rest of his local government unit should improve their efforts in rehabilitating Manila Bay, implementing ecological solid waste management, creating more “green spaces,” and preserving cultural heritage.
Greenresearch urges a stronger synergy among non-government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (POs), religious groups, youth, academe, green champions in the industrial sector and legislative branches in order to block proposed reclamation projects in Manila Bay. We also hope that the present emerging discourse about the Manila Bay will eventually lead to participatory ecological governance in Metro Manila.
Attached are two published articles which critically discuss the dangers of the proposed Manila Bay Reclamation:
“Why Reclamation of Nearshore Manila Bay is A Very Bad Idea”
By Kelvin Rodolfo, Ph.D.
Kelvin S. Rodolfo, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a corresponding member of the Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology. He lives in Viroqua, Wisconsin and comes to the Philippines regularly.
“7 Reasons Why We Should Oppose Manila Bay Reclamation Projects”
Mark Anthony Abenir is an associate professor and director of the Simbahayan Community Development Office of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He is also a development worker and serves as chairman of the Community Development Society of the Philippines.
