MANILA — During the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), Filipino fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and environmental group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment sought the UN’s intervention as regards the “destructive” seabed quarrying or dredging activities in the Philippine waters, particularly in Manila Bay.

“These projects have not only incurred damages in our marine environment, but have also brought losses in the daily livelihood activities of fisherfolk,” Pamalakaya and Kalikasan said in a joint statement during the closing ceremony of the UNOC on June 13 in Nice, France.

At least 10 seabed quarrying projects are approved for utilization of marine sediment in Manila Bay, which Pamalakaya said, will be used for various reclamation projects in Manila Bay. (See Table 1)

Project Proponent	Hectarage	Location
V.I.L. Mines Inc	8,530	Municipalities of Ternate, Naic, Tanza, Noveleta, and Rosario in the province of Cavite
Avalar Mining Corporation	4,810	Cavite City, Noveleta, and Rosario
Silverquest Mining Resources	2,124	Ternate and Naic
Seabed Resources Inc.	4,999	Offshore areas of Naic and Ternate
Myed-Nikkel Resources Corporation	5,106	Territorial waters of the Cavite Cite and the municipality of Maragondon
Robust Cement and Mining Corporation	1,536	Rosario and Tanza
Seventh Sun Exploration Corporation	994	Cavite City
TCSC Corporation	1,827	Offshore areas of Nasugbu, Lian, Batangas
Sands Mining and Development Corporation	No data available	No data available
Cargon Mining Corporation	3,974

In a message to Bulatlat, Pamalakaya’s international officer Terence Repelente said that the UN can also put further pressure on national and foreign governments. “One approach is to pressure countries that fund or are directly involved in seabed quarrying—such as the NL Boskalis—to be held accountable and to compensate the fishermen whose livelihoods continue to suffer as a result of their dredging operations,” he said in Filipino.

In 2018, the Dutch dredging giant Boskalis signed a contract worth €1.5 billion to construct the first phase of the New Manila International Airport by the San Miguel Corporation. Boskalis is extracting materials from the coastlines of Cavite for the land reclamation process required to build the mega airport. Last year, the groups also held a rally in front of The Netherlands embassy to denounce the project’s funding.

“And of course, to pressure the Philippine government through investigations and recommendations to halt these projects. This would greatly support our ongoing petition case against dredging and reclamation currently filed before the Supreme Court,” Repelente added.

Pamalakaya and Kalikasan filed a writ of Kalikasan with the Supreme Court in December 2024 to declare all reclamation and seabed quarry permits, environmental compliance certificates (ECC), and area clearances (AC) for the projects in Manila Bay as null and void. 

They also urged the government bodies and companies to make all project environmental impact assessments, cumulative assessments, notices to proceed, and other relevant information related to all seabed quarry and reclamation projects publicly accessible for informed public participation.

The petition also called for protection, preservation, and rehabilitation of Manila Bay, payment of damages to the fisherfolks, and rehabilitation of coastal communities affected by reclamation. 

The petitioners said that the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) approved 13 of 25 applications for reclamation within Manila Bay while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued ECC and AC for the same projects, as well as the 10 seabed quarry projects.

According to the petitioners, around 300,000 fisherfolks are seen to be adversely impacted in terms of livelihood.”We hope that the UN concerned bodies would adopt our report and pursue an official investigation on the recurring impacts of seabed quarrying projects not only on the marine environment, but also to the socio-economic rights of the coastal population.”

Pamalakaya and Kalikasan spoke at the UNOC’s side event titled “Extracting the Future: A Conversation on Marine Sand, Ocean Justice, and Resilience” focusing on the impact of sand dredging and reclamation on the environment and coastal communities, as well as the extractive systems that drive these destructive practices.

Civil society organizations like them were invited to the UNOC to discuss ocean-related issues towards the identification of key priorities for the global movement, and work toward expanded action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. (AMU, DAA)