The other 18 projects, are still either in application or detailed engineering stage, with at least one — the Las Piñas-Paranaque Coastal Bay Project — stalled by a still pending petition before the Supreme Court filed by Sen. Cynthia Villar.

LOVERS, a boat and the sea are a perfect morning landscape at Manila’s bayside. AFP

Just one legal option was enough to stop all but one reclamation project at the Manila Bay.

This was proved by the list of projects pending before the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), which showed that of 19 proposed reclamation projects encompassing the historic water area, only the second phase of the Navotas City Coastal Bay Reclamation Project was given the green light for implementation.

It is the fourth smallest of the proposed projects at 73 hectares, undertaken by the Navotas City local government unit and its partner private firm Argonbay Construction Co., Inc.

The project is part of the 650-hectare Navotas Coastal Bay Reclamation Project (NCBRDP), its first phase consisting of 577-hectare area of water along Manila Bay.

It was approved by the PRA Board under Resolution 4915 on 21 September 2018 as a self-contained mixed-use community with industrial, commercial, institutional and residential areas, an area suitable for port and port-related facilities, marine and tourism-related facilities and other applicable uses.

The other 18 projects, however, are still either in application or detailed engineering stage, with at least one — the Las Piñas-Parañaque Coastal Bay Project — stalled by a still pending petition before the Supreme Court (SC) filed by Sen. Cynthia Villar right after she served as Las Piñas Representative in Congress.

The Las Piñas-Parañaque Project costing P14 billion was earlier part of the Philippine Estates Authority (PEA) and Amari Coastal Bay Development Corp. (Amari) until it was nullified by the SC on 7 May 2003.

It was later intended to be used as a site for a new airport. However, with Villar seeking legal action, its proponent Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel Corp. decided to transfer his massive development project to Bulakan, Bulacan.

The aborted Parañaque airport was proposed as the present Ninoy Aquino International Airport could no longer handle the massive flow of passengers, as Terminal 1 only has a design capacity for 4.5 million passengers but now handles more than eight million. Terminal 3, meanwhile, handles some 7 million passengers, or more than half its 13 million capacity.

Ang even included in his Bulacan airport project the construction of a new expressway, while a train system is in the pipeline to connect the New Manila International Airport to Metro Manila.

The Las Piñas-Parañaque site is one of the proposed 36 reclamation projects covering 26,234 hectares extending from Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan.

All the other development projects have also been stalled. This even if the SC has yet to rule with finality on Villar’s petition.

The SC had issued a Writ of Kalikasan in favor of Villar, but it did not grant her a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) that would have stopped the reclamation program.

The Court of Appeals (CA) then junked Villar’s appeal to stop the Las Piñas-Parañaque project, reiterating expert findings that the reclamation project includes measures to mitigate flood. The project has yet to proceed, however.

Asked why it was stalled, a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) official said, “Nobody would want to quarrel with the good Sen. Villar, I suppose.”

Raising a Noah’s Ark scenario of great flooding in the Las Piñas, Parañaque and Bacoor, Cavite areas — where many of the real estate projects of the Villar family are located — the lawmaker claimed that more than 1.5 million residents of the three neighboring cities would be greatly affected should the bay area be reclaimed.

This will include more than 315,000 Las Piñas residents, whom Villar had represented in Congress.

Primary respondents in Villar’s petition before the SC are AllTech Contractors, Inc; PRA; DENR; Environmental Management Bureau; and the City of Las Piñas, the Villar family’s turf and was ironically led by the lawmaker’s brother, Vergel Aguilar.

Aguilar’s wife, Imelda, now sits as Las Piñas City mayor.

The CA, however, debunked Villar’s claim, saying her party lacked credible sources and studies to back its claim.

Also, some experts have shared the view that reclaiming part of the Manila Bay is a solution to the inundation of several parts of Metro Manila and its fringes, including Las Pinas, Parañaque and Bacoor. Flood control is among the features of the projects.

Ironically, the cities of Parañaque and Bacoor also have pending applications for their own reclamation projects.

The City of Bacoor actually has submitted two.

The first Bacoor reclamation project is to be undertaken by the local government, Frabelle Fishing Corp. and Aboitiz, comprising 944 hectares of submerged land. The second is 1,332 hectares of bay area under the provincial LGU and Century Peak Corp.

Most parts of Bacoor experience flood during the rainy season. Its residents blame the recently completed 120.76-million flood control structure in Las Piñas City, which divert water to its Cavite neighbor instead of allowing its natural flow.

The City reclamation project is only for 300 hectares under SM Prime Holdings Inc., which is also undertaking other reclamation projects in partnership with the Pasay City government.

“Our reclamation in the area of Manila Bay and within the jurisdiction of the city is primarily the catalyst that motivated our investors to locate their businesses to our city,” Parañaque city administrator Ding Soriano said.

The Baseco, Smart Harbor, City of Pearl, Harbour Center, Horizon Manila, Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway, Manila Waterfront City, Manila Solar City, Philippine Navy and Sangley Point International Airport also have pending papers with the PRA.