Group urges DENR to suspend all ongoing land reclamation projects in Manila Bay, Metro Cebu

THE Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to revoke the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) and other permits for various landreclamation projects in Manila Bay that were found to be liable for alleged environmental violations.

The call was made after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced on national television that all but one land reclamation project in Manila Bay were suspended due to numerous violations. It was not clear which project was given the green light to continue with the project while all others will be undergoing a review process.

To concretize President Marcos’ pronouncement, the DENR should comply and also review the ECCs of the 21 land reclamation projects in Manila Bay,” Ronnel Arambulo, vice chairman of Pamalakaya said in a statement.

According to Arambulo, merely suspending the projects is not enough. He said those found violating environmental laws should be held accountable for the destruction of Manila Bay, an important fishing ground in Luzon, and the displacement of communities that were affected by the projects.

The group cited for instance the need to restore the more than 300 fishing families who were forcibly evacuated from Bacoor, Cavite due to land reclamation.

It is also imperative, Arambulo said that the mangroves that were destroyed be restored in the coastal areas of Manila Bay.

Pamalakaya said accountability should come in the form of just compensation for fisherfolk who have lost their livelihood and the rehabilitation of marine resources and coastal communities.

The group also urged the Marcos administration to “certify as urgent” a bill declaring Manila Bay as a reclamation-free zone.

Filed by the Makabayan bloc last year, House Bill 2026 prohibits all forms of reclamation activities in Manila Bay. The bill is pursuant to the 2008 Supreme Court continuing mandamus to rehabilitate, clean

Mindanao caucus lauds Cardinal Quevedo’s appointment in BARMM Council of Leaders

THE Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) on Monday welcomed the appointment of His Eminence, Cardinal Orlando Beltran Quevedo, OMI, D.D., as representative of Settler Communities in the Council of Leaders of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Under Article VI Section 9 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the Council of Leaders shall advise the Chief Minister on matters of governance. Bringing in Cardinal Quevedo to advise the Chief Minister is very consistent with the avowed mission to promote moral governance in the Bangsamoro, sending an unequivocal message that the BARMM is resolute in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong in the way autonomy is exercised in the Bangsamoro, an MPC statement read.

“This is a very astute choice and this

The MDT between the US and the Philippines was signed on August 30, 1951.

Article IV of the MDT states that “each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.”

“The Secretaries reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding the rules-based order, including supporting the Philippines’ right to conduct lawful maritime activities, consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Ruling, which is final and binding on all parties,” the DOD statement noted.

Both officials also discussed USPhilippines alliance cooperation and reaffirmed its “ironclad nature.”

Also tackled were initiatives to “redouble efforts to strengthen bilateral training, interoperability, and support for the modernization of the Philippine Armed Forces,” the US DOD statement added.

Both Austin and Teodoro also commended recent bilateral military cooperation, including collaborative efforts to deliver over 32 tons of humanitarian sup - signed by different organizations affiliated with the alliance. “We also hope it serves as a precedent for similar approaches in other parts of the country where reclamation projects are also concentrated, such as in Metro Cebu.” plies to the remote islands off the coast of the Batanes island group and the mountain region of Cervantes Ilocos Sur impacted by typhoon “Egay” last week.

“They noted the swift response was critical for the well-being and safety of thousands of Filipinos in these regions affected by the typhoon. They praised the utility of Lal-lo Airfield in Cagayan, a new Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement location, in facilitating relief efforts,” the US DOD statement stressed.

Both defense officials also committed to find a near-term opportunity to meet in-person and restated their commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as allies to bring security, prosperity, and stability to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Earlier, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTFWPS) scored the latest incident of harassment perpetrated by China Coast Guard, People’s Liberation Army Navy, and Chinese maritime militia vessels, on August 5, against Philippine vessels, on a routine resupply mission in waters surrounding Ayungin Shoal.

It added that as a low tide elevation, Ayungin Shoal can neither be the subject of a sovereignty claim nor is it capable of appropriation under international law—a fact affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award. China cannot, therefore, lawfully exercise sovereignty over it. up, and restore Manila Bay for recreational use and fishery resources development.

“China’s illegal exercise of maritime law enforcement powers, the series of blocking and other dangerous maneuvers, including its vessels’ aggressive use of water cannon, against Philippine vessels are blatant violations of the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS], which both China and the Philippines are parties to,” NTFWPS added.

The Philippines demanded that China immediately stop its coercive, unlawful, and unjustifiable activities in our maritime zones.

“The resupply mission to and the upkeep of the BRP Sierra Madre are legitimate Philippine Government activities in our country’s exclusive economic zone, which are all in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS,” it added.

NTF-WPS said the Philippines remains firm in its resolve to continue pursuing its mandate of protecting and upholding the country’s legal maritime entitlements.

According to Pamalakaya, reclamation projects with approved ECCs include the 420-hectare reclamation in Bacoor, Cavite; 360-hectare Pasay Reclamation Project; 318-hectare Manila City Waterfront Project; as well as the 419-hectare Horizon Manila Project.

Meanwhile, the People’s Network for the Integrity of Coastal Habitats and Ecosystems (People’s NICHE) urged DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga to make civil society organizations (CSOs) part of the cumulative impact assessment of land reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

The appeal was made through a letter dated August 8, 2023, urging Yulo-Loyzaga to suspend the land-reclamation activities and hold a dialogue with CSO leaders to discuss the conduct of the cumulative impact assessment.

“We welcome this [cumulative impact assessment], as it is a long-overdue step in the complete appraisal of the impacts of reclamation across the critical bay ecosystem,” the group wrote in their letter, only shows that the leadership of the BARMM seriously walks its talk on moral governance. Yet again, BARMM proves it is inclusive”, MPC’s Chairman Hussein Akmad said.

“We thank Cardinal Quevedo for accepting the appointment and taking the extra mile, not only to support, but to be with the Bangsamoro people, at this most critical juncture of the extended transition period”, said former MPC Secretary General, and now Member of Parliament, Mary Ann M. Arnado.

Cardinal Quevedo is a staunch supporter of the peace process and has played an instrumental role in fostering dialogue of life and faith between Muslims and Christians in Mindanao.

Born in Ilocos Norte, Cardinal Quevedo grew up and studied in Marbel, Koronadal, Cotabato in the late 40s and early 50’s. His parents were public school teachers who migrated from the crowded North to the vast and spacious South.

He worked as a priest-educator in Cotabato City for 12 years, as a parish priest in Jolo for almost two years, as Bishop of Kidapawan for 6 years, and as Archbishop of Cotabato from 1998 to 2018.

He also served as President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines from 1999 to 2003, and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) from 2005 to 2011.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, for her part urged the government to reject all China-funded reclamation projects in the Philippines.

A ccording to reports, two of the six initially approved reclamation projects in Manila Bay are executed by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., a subsidiary of China state-owned Communications Construction Co. or CCCC. However, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has since suspended the operations of all but one reclamation project in Manila Bay due to management issues.

“I w elcome the President’s suspension, but government should not approve reclamation projects by China state-owned companies anymore. Certainly not now. CCCC, like its home country China, has committed many violations against the Philippines. From building artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea to now reclaiming land in Metro Manila, China is destroying Philippine territory left, right, and center. Nabawasan lalo ang respeto ko sa Tsina. Nanghihimasok na nga sa Pilipinas, sinisira pa ang ating likas-yaman,” Hontiveros said in a news statement. Jonathan L. Mayuga

ALARMED over the proliferation of various crimes attributed to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said POGO-related criminal activities are likely to escalate unless the industry is expunged permanently from the country.

Just recently, police authorities recovered 28,000 registered SIM cards at a POGO facility in Pasay City allegedly involved in online scams. Gatchalian said the confiscation of registered SIM cards indicates that POGOs are heavily entrenched in online scams, possibly victimizing hapless individuals both here and abroad.

According to a report from the Philippine National Police (PNP), a total of 4,355 individuals fell victim to POGO-related crimes from January 2017 to June 30 of this year, involving 903 perpetrators.

The crimes documented in the report include human trafficking, forcible abduction, homicide, illegal detention, kidnap-forransom, theft, robbery-extortion, serious physical injuries, swindling, and grave coercion, among others. Chinese nationals, or a total of 793, account for the majority of the suspects involved in these crimes,

Gatchalian said, citing PNP data. Gatchalian emphasized that criminal activities involving POGOs are likely to worsen if the POGO industry is allowed to continue operating in the country. “As much as we dread that situation, that possibility is not difficult to imagine. This should prompt all of us to take a stand against POGOs,” he said. In response to the recent surge in criminal incidents linked to POGOs, Gatchalian has filed a resolution to investigate the growing involvement of POGOs and accredited service providers.

A June 26 raid on the premises of Xinchuang Network Technology, Inc. in Las Piñas City led to the rescue of 2,724 individuals victimized by human trafficking and online scams. A separate raid in early May at a POGO hub in Clark Sun Valley in Pampanga resulted in the rescue of 1,090 victims of human trafficking and online scams.

Also, a separate entrapment operation on June 27 in Pasay City led to the apprehension of three Chinese nationals, former POGO employees among them, for their participation in torture, kidnapfor-ransom, and illegal possession of firearms. Butch Fernandez