‘Sen. Villar hijacking SC-approved project’

A Las Piñas City alderman has urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) not to allow a powerful politician to obstruct the P103.8-billion Las Piñas-Parañaque Coastal Bay Reclamation Project already approved by the Supreme Court in 2021.

Councilor Mark Anthony Santos, who is also a congressional candidate, expressed concern that the project, opposed before the courts by Senator Cynthia Villar, has stalled, depriving residents of job opportunities and the government of much-needed revenue.

While Santos did not name Villar directly, the senator has been a vocal critic of the project, citing environmental concerns.

Santos said a DENR undersecretary informed him that a high-profile politician has pressured the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) not to issue area clearance certificates for the project. The board is composed of various government agencies, including the DENR, and the concerned local government units, namely Las Piñas and Parañaque.

The Las Piñas LGU is heavily represented by the Villars in the PAMB.

A separate source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said PAMB members were being discouraged by the politician from reviewing the area clearance applications. He identified Villar as the politician.

“She feels she’s a power unto herself, that she’s more powerful than the SC, that she can hijack the project with impunity,” the source privy to the case added. “As chair of the Senate environment panel, she holds great power over the DENR, including its budget.”

DAILY TRIBUNE was trying to get Senator Villar’s reaction until press time.

The Supreme Court approved the reclamation project in 2021, dismissing environmental concerns raised by Villar. The plan involves reclaiming approximately 530 hectares along Manila Bay’s coastline in four barangays of Las Piñas and two villages in Parañaque.

Subsequently, the city councils of both cities passed resolutions authorizing their mayors to explore the project under a joint venture agreement (JVA). The project was initially proposed by Alltech Contractors in 2009 to develop 321.26 hectares in Las Piñas and 174.88 hectares in Parañaque.

In 2011, the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) after Alltech provided scientific studies on potential flooding and environmental impacts.

It was at that point that Senator Villar petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the project, arguing it would increase flood risks and obstruct the flow of the Las Piñas-Zapote and Parañaque rivers.

Although the SC initially granted a Writ of Kalikasan in 2012, it later allowed the Court of Appeals to hear the case. The Court of Appeals denied Villar’s petition in 2013, ruling that the project had followed the proper procedures.

Santos has contended that Villar failed to provide sufficient evidence of environmental harm and that he supports the reclamation for its potential economic benefits, including socialized housing and job creation.

The ECC issued in 2011 for the project has not automatically expired, despite delays attributed to the legal challenge, the SC said. Any revisions to the ECC due to time lapse fall under the DENR-EMB’s jurisdiction, it added.

The Supreme Court has stated that, contrary to Villar’s claim, Philippine participation in international agreements, such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, does not prohibit the reclamation of land adjacent to designated wetlands.

With the SC ruling and the validity of the , the source said the Villars are holding the PAMB as their trump card to stop the project. “It’s not about the environment; it’s about the Villars being property developers and they see this project as a threat to their enterprise,” he explained.

The large-scale project aims to create mixed-use land for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes, with new infrastructure developments such as roads and bridges to support the area.