MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has designated Cesar Siador Jr., a former environmental department engineer and head of the Environmental Management Bureau in Cagayan Valley, as the new General Manager and CEO of the Philippine Reclamation Authority. The appointment was announced by the Palace on Friday night.
In addition to Siador, the PRA board will now include former Quezon City 1st District Rep. Anthony Peter “Onyx” Crisologo and Alexander Lopez. The PRA, previously known as the Public Estates Authority oversees and supervises the execution of reclamation projects.
President Marcos Jr. had previously announced the suspension of “all but one” reclamation project along Manila Bay in August, extending from Bataan in the north to Cavite in the south. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources later clarified that all 22 reclamation projects along Manila Bay were suspended pending a review of their environmental and social impacts.
Reclamation projects necessitate environmental impact assessments and Environmental Compliance Certificates from the DENR before commencement. Environmental groups have expressed concerns about the potential harm to marine habitats and coastal communities that rely on the sea for their livelihoods. They’ve also warned of increased vulnerability to flooding and typhoons due to the destruction of mangrove areas.
The US Embassy, facing Manila Bay, raised environmental concerns in August, noting ties between some projects and the China Communications Construction Co., which has been added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List for its involvement in constructing and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea.
(ai/mnm)
