Ecotourism site to rise in MM

MANILA, Philippines - No more reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

Sen. Cynthia Villar made this declaration Thursday, as project proponents have already withdrawn to pave the way for the full development of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat Eco-tourism Areas (LPPCHEA).

“Project developers have withdrawn their projects and shifted their plans to Bulacan area,” Villar told reporters in a press briefing during the last day of the LLPCHEA exhibit at the Senate.This latest development, the senator said, is a victory for the protection and development of a world-class wetland wonder just a few kilometers from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Earlier, Villar lauded the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)’s move to stop the Manila Bay reclamation project.

“This is a welcome development to the cause I’m pursuing, along with residents of Las Piñas, Parañaque and Cavite, as well as groups in religious, private and environmental sectors. We hope the Manila Bay reclamation project, which experts see as detrimental to the environment and livelihood of 300,000 fishermen, will be permanently shelved,” the senator said.

Villar, chair of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, and of agriculture, expressed gratitude to DENR, her newfound ally in the cause of protecting Manila Bay and LPPCHEA, considered as Metro Manila’s last frontier.

“Our volunteers, residents and students who regularly go to LPPCHEA to conduct clean-up operations and tree-planting activities, score a victory with this DENR decision,” Villar said.

In January, Environment Secretary Gina Lopez announced that along with five other companies, the environment clearance certificate (ECC) issued in 2011 to Alltech Contractors Inc. for the Parañaque-Las Piñas Coastal Bay Project Land Reclamation had been cancelled due to its potential to harm the environment.

Villar noted that a reclamation project involving LPPCHEA will kill mangroves and negate government’s plan to plant mangrove trees as a climate change adaptation measure.With 36 hectares of mangrove forest, LPPCHEA is known to be the thickest and most diverse in Manila Bay.To date, 11 species of mangroves grow in the area.