Manila Bay: A region under siege

Manila Bay’s historical, socioeconomic, and cultural importance could never be over-emphasized, from being the site of the Mock Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, to being the subject of a Supreme Court Writ of Continuing Mandamus on December 18, 2008, to the ongoing Battle for Manila Bay launched on January 27, 2019, along with its decades-long struggle for sustainability against industrial and urban sprawl.

Spanning 199,400 hectares and encompassing 178 coastal cities and municipalities across multiple provinces and regions, Manila Bay boasts of its rich environment and natural resources. It even harbors some of the most diverse species of coastal and marine wildlife, crucial for both sustenance and ecological balance.

Yet, amidst its historical significance and ecological richness, Manila Bay continues to struggle against the growing and ongoing long-term and cumulative effects of destructive activities such as reclamation and seabed quarrying.

The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Manila Bay is considered the best natural harbor in East Asia. It is the country’s biggest shipping port, ferry terminal, fish port, and yachting marina. “Its orientation towards the [West Philippine Sea] allows the country to benefit from the current trend of transboundary development and trade with the rest of Asia and the world,” it says.

 

A protected area

Manila Bay is a Protected Area. As such, it is supposed to be set aside for conservation and protected by law from destructive human activities.

Tens of thousands of birds belonging to 330 families and close to 100 species were observed at various monitoring sites along the bay area. Endangered shorebirds such as the Chinese Egret, scientifically named Egretta sulfates, and Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike were once sighted in Manila Bay.

Meanwhile, of the original 54,000 hectares of mangroves existing at the turn of the 20th century, only 794 hectares are remaining as recorded in 1995. A few of the mangrove swamps remaining in Pampanga Bay are of considerable value for research and conservation education. Mangroves act as a protective buffer against cyclones and storms, aside from being a breeding ground, playground, and feeding ground for a variety of seafood.

According to Oceana Philippines, citing a report by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Manila Bay’s waters remain a habitat for fish, mangroves, and birds.

Some of the most commonly caught fish in Manila Bay include sardines, mackerel, mullet, threadfin bream, squid, blue crab, round scad, and caesio. Sixty-seven (67%) percent of Manila Bay’s total value is accounted for by the fisheries industry alone.

Two species of sardines, the Sardinella Gibbosa and Sardinella Fimbriata, breed in Manila Bay. The two species attained the highest relative abundance species of fish respectively in Manila Bay from 2012-2015. Most recently, it was found out that Manila Bay is the spawning ground of Sardinella Pacifica, a new species of sardines with characteristics found only in the Philippines, particularly in Manila Bay, Sorsogon, Samar, and Quezon.

More than the sight of its waters, what makes it majestic and breathtaking is what cannot be seen in merely a glance. Apart from the scenic view of its waters, the true beauty of Manila Bay is what’s underneath. The harmonious balance of the ecosystem under its waters paints not only a beautiful sight to on-lookers, but also a gainful source of livelihood to our fisherfolks and coastal residents, enabling them for the continuous breeding of more species and other natural resources.

But beyond this beauty lies the unfortunate truth in Manila Bay.

 

Reclamation and seabed quarry

Under the promise of development, Manila Bay has undergone numerous reclamation projects. This can have significant effects on both marine and coastal ecosystems, aggravating the already declining populations of coastal and marine wildlife.

The resulting land surface usually extends from the coastline and is above sea level. While it is seen as an urban expansion strategy, future problems are expected to impact surrounding coastal communities such as problems in areas of water conditions, pollution, health, and livelihood.

According to the Philippine Reclamation Authority’s (PRA) Report of 2022, there are five (5) with ongoing actual implementation of reclamation works, four (4) with approved interim permit for pre-reclamation works, three (3) with final notice to proceed, another three (3) with projects with notice to mobilize and notice to commence actual reclamation works, two (2) with conditional notice to proceed and another one (1) pre-qualified project. In 2023, Pres. Marcos ordered an indefinite suspension of 22 major land reclamation projects in Manila Bay to allow a study of their environmental impact and legal compliance.

Simultaneously, and intricately connected to reclamation projects is seabed quarrying - the extracting of mud, silt, and sand from the seabed to provide necessary materials for land reclamation activities.

These dredging operations support reclamation projects by having numerous large vessels enter various fishing spots, dredge and excavate the seafloor, load themselves up with wet sand, and leave the marine area disrupted and damaged.

According to PRA, there are two (2) dredging/seabed quarrying projects for implementation in Cavite, namely: San Nicolas Shoal Seabed Quarry and VIL Mines, Inc - the latter supplying quarry materials for Pasay Harbor City and SMC Bulacan Aerotropolis reclamation projects. DENR records and location maps show more.

Out of the 37 corporations quarrying in Bataan and Cavite, four (4) are conducting it to supply the needed fillers and materials for Manila Bay reclamation projects.

Like dump-and-fill projects, seabed quarrying has adverse impacts on both marine wildlife and the livelihood of coastal communities. Quarry projects extract million tons of sand from Manila Bay. These projects damage the marine ecosystems which are natural habitats of fishes. The dredging equipment generates noise which disrupts and drives fishes away, which affects not only the fisherfolks’ livelihood, but also their equipment and nets.

Scientists and experts have warned that seabed quarrying and land reclamation projects in Manila Bay could have severe environmental consequences for Metro Manila and nearby areas, massive flooding and potential loss of marine wildlife, highlighting the ongoing debate over land reclamation in Manila Bay.

 

The continuing battle
Last year, Pres. Marcos ordered an indefinite suspension of 22 major land reclamation projects in Manila Bay to allow a study of their environmental impact and legal compliance. So far, however, four of the 22 have been either exempted or allowed to resume activities ahead of the cumulative impact assessment promised by the DENR.
Clearly, the situation calls for a more permanent, strategic and sustainable solution. The battle for Manila Bay continues…