THE COUNTRY’S BIGGEST freshwater basin is on the verge of destruction in view of reclamation activities in the guise of flood control program, says a top official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
During the senate budget hearing, Carlos Primo David in his capacity as DENR Undersecretary for Integrated Environmental Science presented satellite photos of supposed flood control projects at the Laguna de Bay which he claimed were clearly reclamation projects.
According to David, Laguna de Bay is being reclaimed by local government units encompassing the C6 area, and private entities which have transformed portions of the freshwater basin into real estate — despite an existing ban.
While David tagged four local government units, he however declined to identify the private entities behind what he aptly described as “illegal reclamation.”
SELECTIVE POLICY
For one, the DENR is mandated to protect the environment while ensuring availability and sustainability, promoting equitable access and regulating utilization for the welfare of present and future generations.
In August 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of 22 reclamation projects in the Manila Bay “pending review by the DENR.”
Not long after, then Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga lifted the suspension order on two Manila Bay reclamation projects despite the long-standing opposition by environmental and fisherfolk groups, including Oceana and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya).
In April 2025, the University of the Philippines and the DENR confirmed in its cumulative assessment report that reclamation activities negatively affected the bay’s natural ecosystems and water circulation. The study found that these projects could worsen flooding, harm marine biodiversity, and threaten the livelihood of fisherfolk.
LEGALIZED POLLUTION
On matters concerning Asia’s second largest freshwater basin, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) is the lead agency tasked to promote and accelerate the sustainable development of the Laguna de Bay Region.
Topping its concerns is to conserve and maintain the ecological balance of the Laguna de Bay ecosystem, which includes the lake and its tributary rivers.
Ironically though, the LLDA has been implementing a policy contradicting its mandate — the environmental users fee (EUF).
EUF is a system used by the LLDA to collect charges for liquid waste emissions into the Laguna de Bay, based on a market-based instrument that includes a fixed fee (for compliance) and a variable fee (based on the concentration and volume of pollutants).
On the list of the lake’s top polluters are fast food stores, restaurants, housing subdivisions, and other commercial establishments.
LAKE RECLAMATION
As early as April, 2024, the LLDA made a sweeping claim that the reclamation activities within Laguna de Bay are not covered by permits or clearances, even as the agency claimed taking necessary legal actions.
In a statement, the LLDA said that they’re contesting ownership claims in the area, particularly where reclamation and backfilling activities have been reported, along with satellite photos of such ongoing activities.
According to the LLDA, the agency is fully aware of the reclamation activities along C6 Road, undertaken by both local government units (LGUs) and private entities and individuals — “We acknowledge the concerns raised about the potential adverse effects of these activities on the ecological balance and water supply in the region.”
MORATORIUM IN PLACE
In the meantime, the LLDA said it has imposed a moratorium on the issuance of Shoreland Development Clearance in recognition of the need for enhanced regulatory measures, which took effect pending the finalization of the Revised Rules and Regulations on Shoreland Management.
“This measure underscores our commitment to ensuring that any development activities along the lake’s shoreland area adhere to strict environmental standards and sustainable land use practices,” the LLDA said in a news article published by the Philippine Star.
Being attached to DENR, the LLDA said it takes the position of its mother agency that all illegal and non-permitted reclamation projects are to be forfeited in favor of the state, regardless of the parties who undertook the project.
RECLAMATION CONTINUES
Despite the moratorium, reclamation activities at the Laguna de Bay has yet to stop, according to the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya).
“There are many illegal reclamation projects. These are illegal as they are operating without permits,” Pamalakaya chairman Fernando Hicap said, citing the ongoing reclamation in the lakeshore.
Among the areas identified by Hicap is Taguig City where reclamation activities — which include dumping garbage (and covered with soil) on the lake — covered at least 10 hectares.
The LLDA pointed out the potential adverse effects of reclamation on the ecological balance and water supply in the region.
METRO’S FISH BASKET
Laguna de Bay produces as much as 90,000 tons of freshwater fish a year and provides livelihood to about 13,000 fishermen. It remains a major source of protein for millions of residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Aside from aquaculture, Laguna Lake is also used for navigation, power generation, water supply and recreation.
“It will no longer become a major source of fish amid the deterioration of Laguna de Bay,” as fishermen already fetch low prices for their catch from the bay at P35 and P40 per kilo.
“Fish from fishpond, fish cages ranged between P70 and P80 per kilo compared to the fish catch of small fishers of only P35 to P40 per kilo,” he said.
RAMPANT RECLAMATION
Data collated by The PH Insider showed that reclamation activities have been prevalent in many parts of the country, with Metro Manila and adjoining provinces recording the highest number of land activities which effectively reduced (if not totally buried) rivers, creeks and even ponds.
Hence, the so-called “missing esteros” which now form part of prime real estate properties.
The most notorious places for illegal reclamation are the cities of Manila, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa and Taguig.
The same problem hounds wealthiest provinces like Bulacan, Cavite, Cebu, and Davao to name a few.
NINGAS COGON CULTURE
In September 2012, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) blamed flooding in the region to the “missing esteros.” According to then MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino, waterways are unable to dislodge floodwaters because they have been buried under construction.
The agency, along with the departments of Justice and Public Works and Highways, planned a technical working group to discuss how many of the capital’s 273 esteros, creeks, and tributaries are under current roads or buildings with existing titles.
Tolentino explained during a Senate finance committee hearing that apart from informal settlers dumping garbage into the waterways, many of these are actually buried under roads and establishments built on top of them decades ago.
Among the “missing esteros” then included the Concordia, where a building now stands, and Sunog Apog, upon which a school was built, while roads have also rendered useless parts of Bilibid, Paco, or Sampaloc.
NOW TITLED PROPERTIES
The former MMDA Chairman (who later became a senator) admitted that revoking the titles of establishments built upon waterways won’t be an easy task.
“There are some esteros titled pursuant to a republic act or presidential decree decades ago and supposedly distributed to the settlers living beside the esteros,” he said.
For instance, many of the titles were issued in the 1960s, when the population of Metro Manila was much smaller.
“They never thought that this would be needed 40 years after for flood control and prevention (…) These are just some of the legal twists that the technical working group will have to address,” Tolentino quipped.