Two incumbent Las Pinas City councilors denied allegations that the P103.8-billion Las Piñas-Parañaque Coastal Bay Reclamation Project could lead to “disastrous flooding” in two Metro Manila cities.
Las Piñas City councilors Mark Anthony Santos and Henry Medina said the multi-billion project was already approved by the Supreme Court in 2021, after dismissing the environmental concerns raised by Las Pinas residents.
Voting 11-2, the Supreme Court (SC) en banc approved on Oct. 21, 2021 the reclamation project of around 530 hectares of the Manila Bay coastline in Las Piñas and Parañaque, ruling that the supposed environmental threat was not sufficiently established.
It was penned by Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang, with dissents from Associate Justices Marvic Leonen and Amy Lazaro Javier. Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan did not vote. There were only 14 justices when the ruling was promulgated.
Alltech Contractors proposed developing 321.26 hectares of land in Las Piñas and 174.88 hectares in Parañaque, both along the coastline of Manila Bay in 2009.
The Philippine Reclamation Authority approved the project in 2010, subject to compliance with environmental rules.
Santos said the petitioners against the project 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.
Medina said while the SC initially granted a Writ of Kalikasan in 2012, it later allowed the Court of Appeals to hear the case.
The CA ruled that the petitioners failed to support their claim by any competent, credible and reliable evidence that the proposed reclamation project will expose Las Piñas and Parañaque residents to catastrophic environmental damage.
According to the CA, Tricore Solutions Inc. and Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines, the companies commissioned by the petitioners, failed to conduct a comprehensive and objective assessment of the proposed project.
The two companies also lacked the expertise necessary in the field of hydrology and hydraulics to competently conclude that the proposed project will cause environmental damage, the CA said.
Medina said the city councils of Las Piñas and Parañaque issued the corresponding resolutions authorizing their respective city mayors to explore the proposal under a joint venture agreement (JVA).
