Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) for another reclamation project touted to be the biggest in Manila Bay.
Estrada led the signing of a MoU with PRA Chairman of the Board Alberto Agra, General Manager Janilo Rubiato, and J-Bros President Engr. Jesusito Legaspi, Jr., virtually sealing the deal for the construction of the P100 billion 419-hectare Horizon Manila, a mixed-use development center, at another portion of Manila Bay.
The city government, Estrada said, will receive almost half of the hundreds of billions of total projected revenues of the Horizon Manila Project proposed by real estate firm J-Bros Construction Corp.. The amount is expected to boost the funding of the city’s programs in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and environmental management.
“But most importantly, this will generate thousands of jobs and livelihood opportunities for the people of Manila,” he said.
Three islands within the Manila Bay, between the Manila-Pasay border in the south and Roxas Boulevard in the east, stretching to about 3.5 kilometers of the shores of Manila Bay, will be constructed under the Horizon Manila project.
Each island has a land area of about 140 hectares.
Legaspi said they expect to start with the initial construction and dredging works within the year or early 2018.
For its part, PRA officials said that with the signing of the MoU, the project proponent will now have to submit the mandatory requirements such as feasibility study, detailed engineering, geohazard studies, and Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) within six months to one year. (Jaimie Rose A. Aberia)
