"There are many questions about this reclamation project."
"There are many questions about this reclamation project."
Reclamation projects can be beneficial if we want new establishments, such as businesses, to arise from a rebuilt land area. However, these should not be pursued if they would harm low-income families in the long run.
A case study for this is the town of Consolacion, Cebu. In Barangay Tayud, 25 percent of the 25,000 people who live there work in the shipyard industry. Aside from that, most families in the town are fisherfolk.
But all these are about to change.
In this town, there is a reclamation project that is being planned. La Consolacion Seafront Development Corp. is planning to build the Seafront City, which it envisions to be a highly advanced community for those who live there and the businesses that would be located there.
However, there are various concerns that should be addressed. These concerns are compelling enough to say that the reclamation project must not proceed as it is.
For example, the Tayud Fisherfolks Urban Poor Association said the reclamation project would destroy their homes and livelihood.
In Sitio Bagacay in Barangay Tayud, there are 78 households there who rely on fishing to earn their income and pay for their needs.
The reclamation project does not even provide a plan as to how displaced families would be assisted.
Why should the LGU of Consolacion, Cebu support a project that would harm its poor citizens?
Beyond harming the poor, the shipyards are the ones who will be affected the most by this reclamation project. This is why a temporary restraining order (TRO) should be imposed to prevent the shipyards from closing down after the expiration of their business permits.
The reclamation project will also displace the shipyards, which could lead to severe consequences such as the termination of 302 employees and 539 contractors’ employees
The business permits expired on June 30, 2021.
The municipal government, led by Consolacion Mayor Joannes Alegado, began to issue six-month business permits to shipyards which would only be renewed based on the mayor’s discretion.
According to their petition, the shipyards have already paid taxes and fees equivalent to a one-year business permit.
It is very concerning that the Mayor decided to shorten the validity period of the business permits and even worse, the renewal is based purely on whether he thinks the shipyards should continue to operate.
Additional context to consider: Vice Mayor Teresa Alegado, the mother of the mayor, said that shipyards should already cease their operations as she voiced her support for the project.
We should be suspicious whether these changes are a backdoor attempt to kick out the shipyards who are voicing their well-founded concerns about the reclamation project.
In addition to that, Mayor Alegado also required the shipyards to get a lease agreement from the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources for the use of foreshore areas in Barangay Tayud.
However, that lease agreement was never required to get a business permit in the past, nor is it required under the Consolacion Tax Code.
Fortunately, there is good news for everyone as Judge Allan Francisco Garciano ruled in favor of the shipyards. This means while their business permits expired on June 30, 2021, Mayor Alegado cannot close them down before December 31, 2021.
The main questions we should ask are: 1) Why did the mayor only issue business permits that are valid for six months when the shipyards paid taxes and fees equivalent to one year?
2) Why did the mayor require the shipyards to get an existing lease agreement from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources when he didn’t require it for the previous business permits the shipyards applied for?
We would like to hear how the mayor would respond to these questions.
Beyond economic concerns, the effects of closing down the shipyards also involves national security concerns. This is because ships from the Philippine Navy would lose an area for maintenance work.
There’s no good rationale to support the shortening of business permits and to require an additional document that was never stipulated under law.
Should the shipyards lose in court, that would mean the judge has decided to rule against the interests of the common Filipino who works earnestly to support his or her family.