Reclamation projects continue to erode Laguna de Bay, reducing fish catches and disrupting lives around the lake. Fisherfolk report shallower waters and polluted conditions leading to poorer yields. Impacts are evident in Taguig, Laguna, and Rizal, with experts warning of risks like flooding and land subsidence.
Laguna de Bay, the country's largest lake and home to 31 fish species, has been gradually transformed by reclamation projects since the 1990s. Ramonito Domingo, a fisher who has lived in the area for over three decades, says the developments bring mud that shallows the waters, slowing fish breeding from about a year to nearly two. "The mud from the projects has made the waters shallower," he said while fixing his nets on a makeshift wharf between two reclaimed areas.
Fernando Hicap, national chairperson of fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA, noted that in the 1980s, two days of fishing could sustain a family, but now only a few fish types are caught due to structures like a geothermal plant and factories using lake water for cooling. "The reclamation that they practice there is the worst, because they throw in trash, cover it with land, then trash again, and then land," Hicap said, recounting sightings of trucks dumping construction waste and plastics into the lake. As a result, many group members have returned to their provinces.
Diuvs De Jesus, a marine biologist from Oceana, explains that reclamation buries productive habitats used by organisms and birds as nursery grounds. "You won’t be able to restore its original state, or it's totally destroyed when it's reclaimed," she told reporters. She warns of flooding as the lake acts like a basin that overflows with added land, plus subsidence risks for structures during earthquakes.
Liza Osorio, an environmental lawyer from Oceana, attributes the push to developers' need for space, but criticizes the permitting system for flaws rooted in 1978 laws that ignore climate impacts. Meanwhile, LLDA General Manager Leopoldo Parumog says the agency intervenes in projects, including those linked to Taguig, and advocates 'technical intervention' for issues like flooding and pollution, partly blamed on informal settlers along the shore.
Satellite images from Google Earth reveal reclamation in at least four areas, including along C6 Road in Taguig, where a flood control project is under construction by a firm tied to a corruption controversy. Similar changes appear in parts of Laguna and Rizal, confirmed by experts. Groups call for a cumulative impact assessment, updated laws, and nature-based solutions like planting bamboo and trees to preserve ecological balance.