KALIKASAN PEOPLE’S NETWORK FOR THE ENVIRONMENT & PHILIPPINE UPR WATCH
PRESS RELEASE
9 November 2023
Joined by locals, environment groups, and fisherfolk formations, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights Ian Fry held a visit to Baseco in Metro Manila on November 8. The trip to the area yielded discussions on the detrimental effects of corporate-funded reclamation projects along Manila Bay on community life and livelihood.
For decades, the densely populated urban poor community in Manila’s Port Area has been left with inadequate access to basic services such as water and electricity. Government neglect has also left families in the area with substandard housing and widespread waste management crisis. Now, with the ongoing reclamation in Manila Bay, local residents fear the worst for the state of their lives and livelihoods.
“Ever since the reclamation projects started, flooding has gotten worse in our community,” said Marlon Distrajo, a resident of Baseco who accompanied the UN Special Rapporteur during his visit. “Before, floods would only reach our knees, but now they can reach our waist in some places.”
Environmental group Kalikasan PNE noted that different companies are behind reclamation in Manila Bay, often partnering with local government units for the projects. Among those with several proposed projects across Manila Bay include San Miguel Corporation (SMC), owned by tycoon Ramon Ang, and Frabelle Fishing Corporation, owned by recently-instated Department of Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
SMC’s New Manila International Airport in Bulacan is one such project that has caused much distress in communities along the northern part of Manila Bay. The implementation of the project has already wiped out the thriving fishing culture in many Bulacan barangays. Despite strong opposition from both local and national groups, the government has not heeded to the calls to stop SMC’s project, evident in its exemption from President Marcos Jr.’s suspension order.
Aside from reclamation, groups also expressed concern over the militarization of communities across Manila, which has hampered community efforts to push back against reclamation and other destructive projects.
“Women defenders face relentless attacks from the state, making it difficult for us to oppose these kinds of projects when they are destroying our communities,” said Cora Agovida of Gabriela National in a dialogue with Fry held after the Baseco visit. Agovida was a political prisoner for two years between 2019 and 2021, and progressive groups maintain her arrest was related to her opposition to projects like reclamation in Manila Bay.
“The Marcos Jr. administration should be upholding the interests of fisherfolk and the Filipino people, not these big businesses that have done nothing but wreak havoc on the environment and communities,” said Clemente Bautista Jr. of Philippine UPR Watch.
Baseco locals and organizations expressed hope that with the Special Rapporteur’s exposure to the issues in Baseco, the UN will be able to make a compelling case that will aid the fight against the reclamation in Manila Bay. #
Contact:
Jon Bonifacio
National Coordinator, Kalikasan PNE
secretariat@kalikasan.net / 0939 913 6943
Clemente Bautista Jr.
International Officer, Kalikasan PNE
Spokesperson, Philippine UPR Watch
enteng@kalikasan.net / 0917 137 2930
