Position Paper (Vilan)

ST.
PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

Basic Education Department - SHS
AY: 2021 - 2022
NAME OF STUDENT: Rojene Andrea Vilan

SCHOOL: St. Paul University Dumaguete
DATE: October 21, 2021
Demurral to 174 Reclamation
INTRODUCTION:
In the past four months, the 174-hectare reclamation project has become the talk of
the city’s populace. The said project’s objective is to build a new aspect of a “Smart City” in
Dumaguete funded by a private-public partnership. The development of the land
reclamation entails 5G ready connections, a coastal wastewater treatment facility, shoreline,
slope and water protection, esplanades, modern ferry boats, a Marina, open land for sports
facilities, hospitals, condominiums, malls, and other commercial centers.
The Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo said in an interview on ANC that
the project would be “sustainable and a solution to poverty of the people of Dumaguete and
Negros Oriental.” Which consequently led several people to support this project, claiming
that the massive construction will bring essential employment and investments to the city.
On the other hand, critics and the opposition denounce that the project has deleterious
effects in conjunction with its progress. As both sides set forth their grounds, the argument
against the land reclamation project is most compelling.
BODY:
Land reclamation is undoubtedly an innovative method for mankind as it provides

living space and territorial advantages through creating land from the sea. However, the
concept of building island infrastructure along Dumaguete’s shorelines, from Bantayan to
Banilad, is personally an ecological catastrophe. Despite the presented
economic advantages of the project, the construction will bury the majority of Dumaguete’s
coastline, including the marine protected areas (MPA). Resulting a destruction of habitats in
the marine environment and is bound to “be an underwater tomb” says Dr. Rene Abesamis,
a marine scientist from Silliman University’s Angelo King Center for Research and
Environmental Management.
The degradation of ecosystems in the marine environment has a significant impact
on fisherfolk and fisheries. Knowing that organisms, such as corals and seagrass beds, in
the marine protected areas (MPA) are vital for the nursery habitat of various aquatic
species. This inevitably boosts the fisheries because the MPA legitimately exports fish
outside to the fishing areas (Alcala, 2021). With the buried coast, habitat loss and the
decline of marine life in the area is inexorable. Prompting local fishermen to fish in deeper
waters as the natural habitat of the fishes is replaced by the reclaimed land. In order to
provide goods for their families and to their heavily dependent marine fisheries city.
Alongside the project’s environmental impact, the families and individuals residing in
the project area are at risk because of the massive expansion of the land reclamation. It
was evident in the proposed project that there is a lack of resettlement plans and alternative
ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE
AY: 2021 - 2022
forms of livelihood for the said vulnerable sector (SUSG, 2021). Thence, the civilized and
proper relocation procedure must be included in the land reclamation project to avert the
displacement of the people in the vicinity of the reclamation site.
Aside from other adverse effect of the land reclamation, the project is not a proper
solution for water contamination. Although it is claimed by the proponents in their project,
with an absence of local consultations, will help in reducing water pollution. The claim is
eventually countered by Dr. Alcala, a National Scientist of the Philippines, that it is the
people who pollutes the water as they have no proper control of domestic waste
product. Additionally, Dr. Alcala stated that innovations which improve the process of waste
materials may be used as an alternative to alleviate waste pollution.
Furthermore, the unsolicited proposal lacks public consultations. In retrospect, the
project only has been limited to basic information, making their additional infrastructure
vague to the public’s eye (SUSG, 2021). On the condition that the said issue
remains unaddressed, the project may eventually have the same outcome as Malaysia’s
land reclamation projects. As stated by the study in 2019, there was an adverse impact on
the West Coast Peninsular, where the 76 land reclamations reside. The author of the study
noted the importance of assessing the impact of these projects. Which prompts the
authorities of Dumaguete City to demand publication of a proper description of the proposal,
in order for the city’s populace to be consulted on their stances regarding the project. As
well as for the environmental scientist to be able to assess and determine the long-term
effects of the project to counteract the negative consequences.
CONCLUSION:
The 174-hectare land reclamation has an apparent potential to enable mankind to

thrive and flourish as land is restored and gained from the sea. Aside from its urban
developments and economic benefits, socio-ecological disaster remains inevitable. In view
of the fact that the project has limited information, experts may not fully assess and
determine the long-term effects of the massive project. To elevate the issue, the verification
of success and elaborate solutions, survey of different sites, and proper ecological
comprehension must be required for the proposal of the land reclamation (Bradshaw
1984). Whether the island infrastructure will commence or not, the proponents and the
government that came into agreement, despite the project’s faults, will be held accountable
for their decisions. Thus, the opposition which has the sole entitlement to object the
construction for the safety of the marine protected areas, vulnerable sectors, and for the
common good have moral values.
SOURCE CITATION:
 The Dumaguete 174-Hectare Reclamation Project.

(n.d.) https://pppdumaguete.com/?
fbclid=IwAR0Fkajr20LO2AEgEnX1QkQl4m82f4uZefFLWE8S_oJjGF01XjrWMUsKju
E
ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE
AY: 2021 - 2022
 Manahan, J. (2021, July 16). As big as 10 Lunetas, 4,000 basketball courts: What is
the P23-billion land reclamation project in Dumaguete? . ABS-CBN
News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/16/21/as-big-as-10-lunetas-4000-
basketball-courts-what-is-the-p23-billion-land-reclamation-project-in-dumaguete
 Bello, R. Dagle R. (2021, July 11). Environmental scientists, groups oppose
Dumaguete ‘smart city’ reclamation
project. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/scientists-groups-oppose-
dumaguete-smart-city-reclamation-project
 Enano, J. (2021, July 12). Dumaguete’s P23-billion reclamation project faces wave
of opposition. Inquirer. Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458450/dumaguetes-p-23-
b-reclamation-project-faces-wave-of-opposition
 New Study Supports Networks of Marine Protected Areas. (2017, May 41). Silliman
University. https://su.edu.ph/new-study-supports-networks-of-marine-protected-
areas/
 Dumaguete’s scientists are up in arms against an ambitious 174-hectare ‘Smart City’
reclamation project. (2021, October
21). Coconuts Manila. https://coconuts.co/manila/news/dumaguete-174dumaguete-
reclamation-protest/
 Bradshaw, A. D. (1984). Ecological principles and land reclamation
practice. Landscape planning, 11(1), 35-48.
 Sany, S. B. T., Tajfard, M., Rezayi, M., Rahman, M. A., & Hashim, R. (2019). The
west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. In World seas: An environmental evaluation (pp.
437-458). Academic Press.

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ST.

PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

NAME OF STUDENT: Rojene Andrea Vilan

Demurral to 174 Reclamation

Land reclamation is undoubtedly an innovative method for mankind as it provides

The 174-hectare land reclamation has an apparent potential to enable mankind to

 The Dumaguete 174-Hectare Reclamation Project.

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