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Taytay residents file complaint to nullify Laguna Lake project's ‘illegal’ public scoping


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Quezon City, Philippines — Taytay residents belonging to Alliance of People's Organizations in Lupang Arenda (APOLA) and Samahan ng Mangingisda sa Lawa ng Taytay (SMALT) filed a formal complaint on July 30, 2025, at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) seeking to nullify the public scoping held in Taytay, Rizal, on July 14, 2025, for the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network (LLRN) Project Phase II.


The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), together with APOLA, SMALT, and other affected residents, walked out of the said July 14 public scoping after the local government unit (LGU) failed to include the organizations and other homeowner associations in the Information, Education, and Communications (IEC) campaign conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Natural Resources (DENR).


“[Kahit] naglaan naman sila ng oras para sa isang [pribadong pulong], hindi pa rin nila pinakinggan yung hinaing ng mga tao. Itinuloy pa rin nila ang public scoping [kahit] ang karamihan sa kanilang inimbita ay di dumaan sa IEC,” said SMALT Secretary Jessa Sabio. [Even though they provided a chance for a private meeting, they still didn't listen to the people's grievances. They still went ahead with public scoping even most of those they invited didn't go through the IEC.]


The residents asserted that the proceeding is void from the beginning due to egregious and systemic violations of the mandatory requirements under DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2017-15 and DAO 2003-20, as well as the fundamental principles of the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System. The public scoping was initially scheduled on March 21, 2025, but PMCJ and the Lupang Arenda community halted it because of the similar disregard for mandatory processes on the part of the implementing agencies.


“The DENR must ensure that its own regulations are followed by project proponents. If at the outset something as basic as public participation activities like public scoping are not properly conducted, what assurance do we have that the proponent would abide by environmental laws during the construction and operation of the project? That EMB should sanction an illegal public scoping has been an observed trend across the country. Government agencies are violating their own mandate", said Aaron Pedrosa, Head of PMCJ’s Legal Team.


In January 2024, fishermen led by Rizal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management filed a complaint with the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to suspend reclamation activities in Laguna De Bay. Affected communities are holding the government agencies legally liable for circumventing the law.


APOLA President Enteng Vicente Barlos stressed that implementing agencies are literally going around the affected communities. “Ang public scoping ay ginawa sa lugar na hindi naman sakop ng proyekto. Ito ay nagdudulot ng kalituhan sa aming mga residente. Dapat sumunod ang mga ahensya ng gobyerno sa batas! Nais lamang namin na masiguro ang aming mga karapatan,” he said. [The public scoping was done in an area that is not covered by the project. This is causing confusion among our residents. Government agencies should follow the law! We just want to ensure our rights.]


The provinces of Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, and other areas in Southern Luzon were placed under a state of calamuty last week due to relentless rains triggered by Habagat (Southwest Monsoon) and typhoons Crising, Dante, and Emong. PMCJ and other groups have been highlighting that climate-change-induced flooding would be exacerbated by environmentally-degrading projects such as the LLRN.


“Stakeholders to the LLRN project are not only excluded from participation, they are kept in the dark as proponents and agencies alike fail to disclose relevant project information. With the Government's tacit policy of exclusion, we are left with no choice but to assert our place in the conversation,” Pedrosa said. ###


FOR INQUIRIES:

Sheila Abarra

Senior Media and Communications Officer

Philippine Movement for Climate Justice

mediacommunications@climatejustice


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