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 The
Manila Bay is the country’s major hub and international
gateway to its political, economic and social center. It is to
the Filipino people, a natural heritage and a silent witness to
the millennia of Philippine history and the venue of many historical
events that helped shaped the Filipino culture and values. The
Bay, with its semi-enclosed estuary facing the South China Sea,
represents a vital national asset, providing a source of food,
livelihood, employment, recreation, to an estimated 23 million
Filipinos and a major source of economic benefit for the country.
Along with its surrounding provinces, the Bay contributes an estimated
55% of the country’s GDP and account for almost one third
of the country’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry production
and 64 percent of the contribution of industrial and services
sector to the GDP, respectively. It supports fisheries and aquaculture
as among the major sources of livelihood as well as activities
in the following development areas: a) manufacturing industry;
b) shipping and ports; c) agriculture; d) mining and quarrying;
e) commercial areas; and f) residential areas.
The sustainability of the Bay and its diverse ecosystem is however
continually threatened by a variety of land and se-based human
activities, which contribute to the decline in its environmental
quality. Overexploitation of resources, illegal and destructive
fishing, habitat destruction, pollution, siltation and sedimentation,
uncontrolled development and the conflicting use of limited available
resources cause pressures on the bay.
Several laws are being implemented (P.D. 984, DAO 35, R.A. 6969,
R.A.2003, P.D. 979) for the protection and conservation of the
bay. However, with the increasing complexity of the problem there
is a need for multi-agency and cross-sectoral management program.
Thus, the implementation of the Manila Bay Environmental Management
Project a local component of the Regional Program on building
Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East
Asia (PEMSEA).
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