These Photos Show the Breadth and Scale of Manila Bay's Reclamation Projects
On November 29, as my plane flew over Manila Bay, I captured something I had never seen with my eyes before: the actual land reclamation of Manila Bay.
Judging by the size of the ships in the picture, we can estimate that the size of the manmade island is roughly 3 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide, and that is not even the full view of the reclamation project—the aircraft’s wing obstructed the camera’s view.
But the shocking part of all is that this is just one of the 19 ongoing reclamation projects now in Manila Bay, according to the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) during a senate hearing on the topic in November. If we go beyond Manila Bay, the actual number of reclamation projects in coastal or municipal waters would reach 187.
Back in October, Senator Cynthia Villar lashed out at DENR officials after learning that they approved 21 reclamation projects, which the senator claimed could cause more flooding in Cavite and Las Pinas.
Manila Bay is one of the most important fishing grounds in the Philippines. Oceana, an international marine conservation group, is fighting the hard battle against land reclamation in the Philippines. Diuvs De Jesus, a marine scientist and conservationist, tells Atom Araullo in the documentary Reclamation Nation, that there are living things being buried alive in the reclamation projects.
“Iyong tatambakan mo na dagat, ecosystem iyan. Akala natin, buhangin lang iyan pero may buhay diyan. May isda, may mga shells, at iba pang organisms. Kailangan din natin tingnan iyong mga maaapektuhang mga lokal: iyong livelihood nila,” says De Jesus.
(“Where you dump soil in the sea is actually an ecosystem. We might think that it’s just sand but there is life there. There are fishes, shells, and other organisms. We also need to look at the local livelihoods that will be affected.”)
One of at least 19 ongoing reclamation projects in Manila Bay
According to the documentary, there are 24 planned reclamation projects in Manila Bay that will occupy 9,000 hectares of the sea—that's larger than four Makati cities, or even the combined size of Manila, Makati, Pasay, San Juan, and Pateros.
Because of the massive reclamation projects, some 150,000 residents at Baseco Compound are in danger of being displaced, according to the documentary.
Below is an infographic from the DENR showing the reclamation projects in Manila Bay.
Reclamation Sites in Manila Bay
Judging by the placement of these reclamation sites, it seems Manila will lose its view of its iconic sunset pretty soon. But more important than that is the amount of marine life that will disappear once they are buried alive in reclaimed land.
