OCTOBER 12, 2009
FISHERS ACCUSE THE GOVERNMENT OF EXPLOITING THE DISASTER
Fishermen from Laguna de Bay accuse the government of exploiting the calamity to remove obstruction to the multi-billion dollars infrastructure projects. Communities along Laguna Lake were among the hardest hit areas by the catastrophic flooding following the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy. Hundreds of villages around the lake remain submerged to floodwater forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to live in evacuation centers.
According to Bonifacio Federizo, spokesman of the group MAPAGPALA, the government intends as early as 2007, to demolish the 100,000 families living along the shoreline of Laguna Lake to pave way for the massive reclamation project. He added that using the pretext of waterways obstruction, the government is preparing to demolish the entire lakeshore communities and proceed with their mega plan.
Master Plan
The Philippine Government has an existing Technical Cooperation Agreement with Peoples Republic of China thru Xiamen Rongtai and China State Construction Engineering Corp., to develop an investment area around Laguna de Bay. It is a USD 2.5 billion project called ‘LABART’ covering the 150 km shoreline out of 220 kms total shoreline of Laguna de Bay. The project is a construction of an integrated road and railway system from Metro Manila to Laguna and Rizal. The whole system is composed of 150 kms of shoreline embankment road, 30 km of causeway structure and 25 kms of land-based on-grade road and railway. LABART will reclaim parts of 90,000 hectares of Laguna de Bay in Calamba, Pakil and Taguig. Last December 2008, City Government of Taguig has entered into joint venture with Laguna Lake Development Authority to reclaim 3,000 hectares of shoreline to construct airport and commercial area. Close to 25,000 families affected by Taguig reclamation shall be relocated.
Induced suffering
Federizo assails the Laguna Lake Development Authority for being inutile institution in taking care of the lake and its people.
“The flood is a clear result of 42 years mismanagement of LLDA to Laguna de Bay Eco-system, and even failed to respond aggressively to reduce the suffering of people in this time of calamity,” he said.
MAPAGPALA claims that LLDA rejected their petition to construct the Paranaque spillway for lack of funds but go ahead in the construction of Taguig Road Dikes in preparation for the Taguig reclamation project.
“By doing no effort in draining the floodwater at the lakeshore communities, even the simple dismantling of wrecked barge blocking the Pasig River, it is easy for us to assume that Chairman Edgar Manda of LLDA is inducing the retention of flood and eventually declare the whole Laguna Lake shoreline as uninhabitable for the implementation of LABART,” Federizo charged.
MAPAGPALA is determined to resist the LABART Project and planning to file a class suit against the government to demand compensation to all the damages during the flooding incurs by the negligence of government in all its level. xxxendxxx
