Legal Tide Turns for Manila Bay: Supreme Court Impleads Reclamation Proponents

Press Statement
April 5, 2025

Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) commends the Supreme Court (SC)’s recent en banc resolution to implead corporations and local government units as respondents on our petition against destructive reclamation and seabed quarrying projects in Manila Bay. This pivotal decision marks a critical step in our struggle to hold accountable those responsible for the degradation of the environment and the violation of fisherfolk rights.

The resolution names corporations such as San Miguel Aerocity Inc. and Frabelle Fishing Corporation, alongside local government units, as respondents in petitions for a Writ of Kalikasan and a Writ of Continuing Mandamus. This is in addition to the previous list of respondents, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Philippine Reclamation Authority. These entities must now answer for the extensive damage caused by their projects to Manila Bay’s marine ecosystems, the livelihoods of coastal communities, and the fundamental rights of fisherfolk. 

This legal development underscores the accountability of both private corporations and government units for their complicity in environmental destruction and human rights violations. The SC’s decision aligns with our demand for justice, as reclamation and seabed quarrying activities have not only devastated marine and coastal biodiversity but have also displaced thousands of fisherfolk families, plunging them into economic despair and threatening food security. These projects epitomize corporate greed enabled by government negligence, which we will continue to challenge. 

In December 2024, Kalikasan PNE, together with Pamalakaya and other petitioners from various sectors, filed for a Writ of Kalikasan and a Writ of Continuing Mandamus to halt the destructive reclamation and seabed quarrying activities in Manila Bay. 

Kalikasan PNE hopes that our legal system will continue to uphold environmental justice and human rights in the ongoing struggle to protect Manila Bay and its fisherfolk communities. This victory is but one step toward ensuring that our environment and communities triumph over destructive profiteering. We will continue this pivotal step until it concludes in favor of our environment and people’s rights.