Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is calling on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to tighten its approval and monitoring of reclamation, quarrying, mining and land conversion projects, warning that these could worsen flooding.
Pangilinan said environmental permits should not be treated as a green light for projects that could damage watersheds, rivers, wetlands, coastlines and other natural defenses against floods.
“Patong-patong ang epekto sa baha ng patong-patong na mga permit sa reclamation, quarrying, at land conversion. Hindi lisensya ang environmental permits para baha ang pagdusahan ng kasalukuyan at susunod na henerasyon,” he said Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Pangilinan said the DENR should look at the combined impact of projects instead of approving them one by one.
“Sabi ko nga, walang kinikilalang political o project boundaries ang tubig. At di rin nito kinikilala ang environmental compliance certificates,” he said.
Pangilinan pointed to the DENR’s assessment of reclamation projects in Greater Metro Manila, which warned that these could create a “bottleneck” that would affect the flow of floodwaters into Manila Bay.
The senator said land conversion also needs closer scrutiny, particularly when farms, wetlands and flood-prone areas are replaced by subdivisions, roads, warehouses and commercial developments.
Pangilinan urged the DENR to establish no-go zones in critical watersheds, wetlands, mangroves, floodways and river easements, while strengthening its monitoring of quarrying and mining operations.
“We cannot keep engineering our way out of floods while approving developments that remove the very forests, wetlands, floodplains, and waterways that absorb and carry water,” he said.
“Development must work with nature, not force present and future generations to suffer and pay for destroying it,” the senator added.IMT
