THIRD ALARM Residents on a flooded street in Marikina City evacuate to higher ground after authorities raised the third alarm for the Marikina River when it breached the 18-meter mark and continued to rise on Wednesday morning. Relentless and torrential rains brought by Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi) had swollen the river and flooded many areas in Metro Manila. 鈥擥rig C. Montegrande
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Several senators and environmental groups blamed the reclamation projects in Manila Bay for causing the massive floods in the sprawling capital region and nearby provinces, including the Senate compound鈥檚 seaside street on Wednesday.
鈥淭his, I believe, is the consequence of all the reclamation happening in Manila Bay, no more outlets for flood waters here in Pasay and Manila,鈥� Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters.
鈥淚t will always result in flooding every time it rains heavily. This is another disaster,鈥� he added.
READ: Over 10,000 families in NCR evacuated due to Carina 鈥� DSWD
Zubiri also sent videos of the floods taken by his staff, including one showing a vehicle creating waves on the inundated Diokno Boulevard in front of the Senate building in Pasay City.
鈥淭he Senate is now coming off like Siargao,鈥� he quipped sarcastically, referring to the renowned surfing capital of the Philippines.
The flooding was caused by relentless torrential rains over many parts of the country brought by Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi).
P1B 鈥榙aily鈥� vs floods
Sen. Joel Villanueva, who also pointed to the reclamation as the culprit in the flooding, criticized the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for apparently not addressing this perennial problem.
鈥淚magine, for the past two years鈥攊ncluding this year鈥攚e have this P1-billion-a-day flood control budget for DPWH alone鈥擯1B a day! Please tell me if anyone here can see at least an improvement in addressing floods,鈥� he said.
Sen. JV Ejercito also said that the reclamation projects could be among the possible causes of the flooding.
鈥淚s it not because of the reclamation [that] the Senate (area) had been submerged in floodwaters? I think this is the only time it happened,鈥� Ejercito said.
So-called benefits
Jonila Castro, the advocacy officer of Kalikasan People鈥檚 Network for the Environment, said the intense flooding in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite and Bataan was a 鈥渄irect result鈥� of the massive reclamation in Manila Bay.
鈥淔rom Presidents Duterte to Marcos Jr., lie upon lie has been rained upon us on the so-called benefits of reclamation,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd now, only two days after President Marcos鈥� State of the Nation Address, where he proudly committed himself as a climate champion, all his empty promises are literally drowning homes and families around Manila Bay.鈥�
In his speech, Marcos said there were ongoing disaster preparedness efforts, citing 5,500 flood protection systems, but he was silent on the Manila Bay reclamation.
He appealed to Congress to pass a law to confer the legal personality of the Philippines as host of the board of the Loss Development Fund. Total commitments to the fund, which aims to assist developing countries vulnerable to climate change impacts, amounted to over $600 million as of early this year.
As floodwaters rose, environmental groups argued that the disaster underscored the urgent need for climate-resilient policies and infrastructure. They said reclamation projects also cause widespread and 鈥渋rreversible鈥� damage to coastal communities and the marine environment.
Suspension order
In August 2023, Marcos ordered the suspension of the 22-bay reclamation projects. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) then said that it would conduct a 鈥渢horough review鈥� of the reclamation projects to assess their environmental and social impacts.
In November of that year, the DENR announced that its cumulative assessment of reclamation projects could be finished within a year. However, a few days later they confirmed that two reclamation projects were able to pass their compliance review, prompting the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to approve the projects鈥� resumption.
These projects were the Pasay 265, a joint venture between Pasay City and Pasay Harbor Corp. covering 265 hectares, and the 360-ha Pasay 360 with SM Smart City Infrastructure and Development Corp., which will be connected to SM Mall of Asia complex.
鈥楢genda鈥� for Marcos
In February, the PRA announced plans to potentially proceed with another two reclamation projects in Manila Bay鈥攁 90-hectare project in Bacoor, Cavite, and a 30-hectare project by the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority in Navotas.
Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Khevin Yu said the situation called for urgent moves for 鈥渃limate justice.鈥�
鈥淭hese torrential rains give yet another picture of extreme weather in a climate-changed world,鈥� he said. 鈥淔ilipinos are calling for climate justice. President Marcos must champion policies to help facilitate access to justice for communities.鈥�
The group鈥檚 outline of a 鈥淐limate Action Agenda鈥� for the President includes enactment of the climate accountability bill, litigating carbon majors for climate impact damages, and championing innovative sources of finance for loss and damage.
鈥淭his will likely not be the last, or the worst, storm we will face this year. Climate impacts will continue to escalate,鈥� Yu said.
He said Greenpeace volunteers had visited Barangay Banaba in San Mateo town, Rizal, one of the provinces that experienced relentless torrential rains on Wednesday and found flood-control structures incomplete and falling apart.
鈥淚t is small communities like Banaba, with poor infrastructure, that are affected the worst. For their sake, the Marcos administration must prioritize climate action,鈥� Yu said.
Direct consequences
Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares called for an immediate halt to all reclamation activities in Manila Bay.
鈥淭he massive flooding we are witnessing in Metro Manila, particularly in areas like Malabon, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Marikina, Caloocan and Rizal where floodwaters have reached second floors, is a direct consequence of these reckless reclamation projects,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that these projects are exacerbating the vulnerability of our communities to climate-related disasters.鈥�
Colmenares also questioned the effectiveness of the government鈥檚 flood control efforts in the 鈥淣ew Philippines.鈥�
鈥淚s this what President Marcos Jr. was boasting about in his State of the Nation Address on Monday, that they鈥檝e completed so many flood control projects?鈥� he said.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said her office would reach out and provide assistance to those affected by the floods and other emergencies brought about by the typhoon.
Sen. Robinhood Padilla said his office had set up hotlines to help those affected by the calamity.
Padilla鈥檚 office is coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and other agencies to respond to calls for help. 鈥攚ith a report from Inquirer Research