Aside from the economic gains it would provide to Manila, the planned P7.4-billion expansion of the Manila Harbour Centre will help unclog and clean up the Pasig River, where informal settlers and factories have been dumping their waste for decades, Mayor Joseph Estrada said on Friday.
Estrada said the Sangguniang Panglunsod ratified early this week the joint venture agreement of the city government and the consortium R-II Builders Inc. for the multibillion-peso expansion of the 79-hectare North Harbor facility in Tondo.
“The developer told me that oil depots and many industries along the Pasig River will be transferring to the soon-to-be expanded port once it is completed, which means there will be less polluters in the river. This is good news, considering we, too, support the rehabilitation of our beloved Pasig River,” the mayor said.
He lamented that the Pasig River has become a huge sewer system because industries and the thousands of informal settlers that have settled on its banks pollute it.
Reghis Romero II, chairman of R-II Builders Inc., said a number of industries such as shoe manufacturers, textiles and oil depots on the Pasig River have expressed interest to transfer to the North Harbor port once the expansion is completed.
“They’ve been looking for a light industrial estate that can accommodate them since they’ve been clogging the Pasig River,” Romero said.
Estrada said Manila stands to gain much from the multi-billion-peso project, including its share of a 15-hectare land with a market value of P2.7 billion that the city government intends to develop into a new industrial, commercial and cultural complex.
Half of the 30-hectare reclaimed land will be given to the city government of Manila as its share once reclamation and construction works are completed in two-and-a-half years.
“This is what I’ve been envisioning, a huge piece of land where we could extend our local government offices and put up other useful facilities,” the mayor said.
Romero said the city government can very well put up its own cultural center at the new site.
Estrada said the project would also provide thousands of job opportunities for Manileños and millions of tax revenues for the city government, aside from boosting the country’s economy.
“At the same time it will ease the congestion at the Port of Manila, which is being blamed for the rising cost of commodities,” he pointed out.
Romero pointed out that the current congestion at the Port of Manila is blamed for rising logistical costs of the cargo companies and other major stakeholders in the shipping industry.
Romero said the port expansion is also badly needed to make the operation of Port of Manila at par with international standards; with the expansion of the North Harbor further out to sea, the existing port facility will now be able to handle larger vessels, thus, reducing the costs of and speeding the process of cargo handling.
Romero said they see no more hurdles in the implementation of the port expansion project.
The 36-member city council led by Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna approved the JVA signed by Estrada and Romero on July 21. The council approval is a requirement to get the approval of the Philippine Reclamation Authority.
Once approved by the PRA, the project will then be submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority for President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval.
Under the JVA, R-II will reclaim 50 more hectares of Manila Bay to expand the existing 79-hectare Manila North Harbour Centre, popularly known as North Harbor, in Tondo. The port is owned and operated by Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc.
Phase 1 of the project involves the reclamation of 20 hectares, including a kilometer-long berthing apron and backup area for cargoes, while Phase 2 will be another 30 hectares for mixed-use development, including road utilities and other facilities such as warehouses and storage facilities.