By Arlie O. Calalo
07/23/2010 [ tribune.net.ph ]
The Navotas City government will push through with its multibillion-peso reclamation project aimed at adding at least 150 hectares more of prime space to spur economic activity in the country’s fishing capital.
With the new administration of Mayor John Rey Tiangco, the local government said it would continue with the mega project initiated by former mayor now Rep. Toby Tiangco which could generate an estimate of 200,000 jobs for the residents.
The Tiangco brothers, who both ran and won in their respective posts unopposed in last May 10 polls, affirmed their solidarity during the oath-taking ceremonies recently.
The new city mayor said he would push the reclamation project to materialize under his term.
The proposed P50-billion project, once implemented, will expand the city’s land space with about 150 hectares in addition to its present land area of 1,069 hectares, 432 hectares of which are fishponds, according to the mayor.
The city government under Toby administration signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) among the project’s partners, including Philippine Reclamation Authority and the Seafront Renew Inc., the firm that will oversee the raising of the project funds.
The signing was also witnessed by local officials and representatives of Asia-Pacific of the Jan de Nul Group, a Belgium-based marine engineering company known globally for its dredging, civil, heavy lift and engineering projects.
Under the three-phase project, the city government said it would stand on 150 hectares which will have two islands separated from the mainland by 20 meter-wide water channels. The first phase would stretch 3.3 kilometers parallel to the city’s Centennial Park with the second and third phases that would extend further offshore to expand the present land area.
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