ANTIPOLO CITY - Governor Casimiro "Jun" Ynares III stuck to his guns Thursday and called on lawmakers to help him make sure that certain conditions are met before pushing through with the P18.7 billion dredging project in Laguna Lake. This came as officials of the provincial government of Rizal expressed elation over the inclination of a number of lawmakers to see eye-to-eye with the stance of Ynares. Ynares, who once was the general manager of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) and assistant secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has a strong grasp of the situation of Laguna Lake.
He has made public his support for hearings by the House of Representative's Committee on Ecology to ensure that the planned dredging project to be funded by the Belgium's Fortis Bank SA/NV is done correctly. If environmental concerns he and other mayors of affected communities around the lake are heard, the governor said he was confident that the dredging project would ultimately be beneficial.
He underscored that the program must include the reforestation of the surrounding watershed areas; the relocation of informal settlers living on the lakeside and major channels (Napindan and Manggahan) that reduce the channels' conveyance capacity and constrict outlets of floodwater; cleaning of waterways leading to the lake; and extensive consultation and dialogue with all stakeholders, particularly local governments and communities that will be affected by the project. It would be recalled that Ynares wanted the environmental, technical and social concerns be adequately addressed first before the project is implemented. "I support the plan to dredge Laguna Lake but certain parallel steps must be taken first to ensure that the multi-billion pesos earmarked for the project does not go to waste," Ynares said. Other provincial officials and fisherfolk groups are also happy over reports that the Belgian dredging corporation, together with the DENR have given in to the demands of Ynares.
