Green group to ask Duterte to impose reclamation moratorium
AN environment group said they will ask President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to impose a moratorium on reclamation projects due to their destructive effects on coastal communities.
Oceana-Philippines Vice President Gloria Estenzo-Ramos said they will also file a case at the Supreme Court questioning the application for reclamation projects by local governments.
She cited data from the Philippine Reclamation Authority showing eight more reclamation projects pending in Cebu.
These include a 136-hectare proposed project in Lapu-Lapu City, the second phase of a 207-hectare project in Mandaue City, a 100-hectare proposed project in Minglanilla town and three proposed projects in Cordova town covering 1,200 hectares.
There is also a proposed reclamation project in Compostela town, a 7.5-hectare reclamation in Consolacion town and an 11-hectare reclamation project in Toledo City.
Ramos said reclamation projects involve the dumping and filling of materials in a marine area, disrupting its ecology and the livelihood of the fisherfolk.
“The corals, the seagrass, the mangroves, the beach system are destroyed. The fisherfolk’s livelihood is affected since the breeding grounds of the fishes are destroyed,” she said.
While saying that they are not against development, Ramos said it should be sustainable.
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