THE rehabilitation of Manila Bay will contribute to the country’s economic development, Malacañang said on Thursday, Jan. 31.
Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the massive cleanup of Manila Bay, which might pave the way for reclamation projects, would benefit the government.
“When you clean up Manila Bay, certainly all of us will benefit,” Panelo said.
“Now with respect to the reclamation, even the government will benefit from that because we get, if I understand correctly, it’s 63-35 [sharing]. Sixty-five ang atin doon. Ang laki (We’ll get 65 percent of it. It’s a huge sum),” he added.
Seven Makabayan lawmakers on Tuesday, Jan. 29, filed House Resolution 2452, urging the government to postpone the massive cleanup of Manila Bay over concerns about “seemingly hidden projects” in the rehabilitation efforts.
The bloc said the rehabilitation program could be a “prelude to 43 reclamation projects, covering more than 32,000 hectares in the bay under the Build, Build, Build program.” (Ruth Abbey Gita)