The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday initiated an expert forum to create policy recommendations for the eventual review and enhancement of the country's policies related to reclamations as one of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s development goals.
While the recently published Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028 promotes economic transformation and community resilience to climate change threats, the DENR said it also supports an enabling business environment to increase public-private partnerships (PPPs) in a variety of sectors.
In his 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos stated, "Companies that exploit our natural resources must follow the law. There is no doubt that the preservation of the environment is the preservation of lives."
The forum's objectives include facilitating discourse among experts and stakeholders to gain insights on reclamation, finding gaps and entry points to improve policy, and getting expert advice on improving reclamation policies at the national and municipal levels.
The DENR stated that among the reclamation laws and policies that need to be reviewed and improved are Executive Order No. 74 s. and Administrative Order No. 2019-4 s. of the Philippine Reclamation Authority, 2019, as well as DENR Administrative Orders Nos. 2003-30 and 2018-14, as well as the Department of Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular No. 2022-018.
According to the DENR's concept note, global sources on reclamation demonstrate how reclamation can potentially contribute to the SDGs.
In a report, it said that the reclamation project in the Port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is a good practice, as evidenced by extensive studies, simulations, and modeling, emphasizing the project's innovation, economic benefits, compliance with safety standards, and improvements in social and environmental sea conditions.
Meanwhile, the concept note stated that there are varying viewpoints on what constitutes a successful reclamation based on the experiences of Hong Kong and Indonesia, which, while stimulating economic expansion, also came with considerable ecological and social consequences, as diverse parties asserted.
