“Reclamation projects are the cornerstone of our urban renewal program.”

Manila’s skyline is changing to reclaim its old glory as Pearl of the Orient.

Its mayor, former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada, has approved four major reclamation projects to expand the city’s land area to provide more space to host residential buildings, high-class hotels, commercial centers, gaming venues, and entertainment facilities that combine the latest technology in waste management, energy efficiency, and environmental conservation.

“Reclamation projects are the cornerstone of our urban renewal program,” Estrada declared at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the 318-hectare “Manila Waterfront City,” the fourth big-ticket reclamation venture approved by his administration.

“They translate to more lands, better infrastructure, more businesses and more jobs, increased revenues, and better opportunities for all,” he said.

The Manila Waterfront City is projected to be a commercial and tourism hub to rise along the shorelines of Roxas Boulevard. The multi-billion peso project is to be undertaken by the Waterfront Manila Premier Development Inc. (WMPD)

Estrada signed a joint venture agreement with R-II Builders on 21 July 2016 to reclaim an additional 50 hectares of Manila Bay to expand the Manila Harbour Centre. The expansion would allow Harbour Centre to handle larger vessels and accommodate 14 to 16 large vessels at a time, depending on size and more than double its current yearly cargo volume of six million metric tons.

The pact involves two phases costing P7.4 billion and will be shouldered by R-II Builders. Under the deal, Phase 1 of the project will reclaim 20 hectares of Manila Bay to add one kilometer of berthing facility for backup and apron to be used in bulk and break-bulk cargo.

Phase 2 involves the conversion of 30 hectares of reclamation into a mixed-used development for business, residential, road networks, and other facilities.

Moreover, 15 hectares from the 30-hectare mixed-use development will be owned by the city government, which Estrada is planning to develop as a new industrial complex.

The first reclamation project given the green light even before Estrada’s time was the 148-hectare Solar City urban center in Manila Bay which will utilize the most advanced technology in energy generation, solid waste management, and environmental conservation.

Manila Goldcoast Development Corp. (MGDC) vice chairman Edmundo Lim said Solar City would be different from existing commercial districts such as the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig because it would use cutting-edge technology used by advanced countries in Europe, as well as Canada and the US.

In June 2017, Estrada inked a MoU for the P100-billion, 419-hectare “Horizon Manila” with the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and real estate firm J-Bros Construction Corp.

The Horizon Manila project is the biggest of all the four involving the construction of three new islands stretching 3.5 kilometers off the shores of Manila Bay between the Manila-Pasay border in the south and Roxas Boulevard in the east.

The other project that Estrada approved is the UAA Kinming Group Development Corp.’s “New Manila Bay International Community,” a 407.42-hectare mixed-use commercial and business district in the central area of Manila Bay.

With the creation of new business district from the reclamation projects, Estrada is confident the city would attract local and foreign investors and bring in more revenues while creating thousands of job opportunities for Manileños.

Manila’s new communities are envisioned to be self-sustaining aside from providing ample open space and parks for the public to enjoy. The concrete structures will be carefully planned to create a perfect synergy with the environment.

WMPD chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. described his project, “as a compliment to the now already magnificent Manila Bay waterfront, we made sure that this new development will be an added enhancement – breathing new life to the old bayfront while evolving as a complementing attraction to its magnificence.”

The planners of the reclamation designed their future “cities” with a conscious effort to preserving the environment, particularly the few remaining “greens” of Manila, incorporating hectares of open and green spaces to make the communities a really “breathable city.”

For his part, Lim said Solar City would be an ultra-modern commercial and business hub, with huge cisterns that are capable of collecting rainwater which they can process for reuse.

Every establishment in the city, including offices and residential units there will be equipped with “garburators” to reduce food waste. Garburators are capable of shredding leftover foods into small pieces which can be processed to compost.

“We will soon see the expansion of Manila’s borders, and its capacity to host more business ventures which will drive our Manila’s economy,” Estrada said, adding that the fresh funds to be collected from the soon-to-be-built commercial district would finance various social programs, including education, health, livelihood and other social initiatives.

“This reclamation project will be a symbol of our mission and vision of creating a city that is prepared for a future of economic prosperity and social equity,” said Estrada as he thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for his support to big-ticket reclamation projects in Manila.

He added that the big-ticket infrastructure projects he is embarking on would bring back the “old glory.”