AS part of her advocacy to protect the Freedom island from any threat brought by reclamation and even pollution, former Representative Cynthia Villar together with other volunteers led a clean-up drive at the Manila bay on Saturday.

Freedom island or the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat & Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA) is being eyed as a site for the P14-billion Manila Bay reclamation project by the government and contractor AllTech Contractors Inc. (AllTech)

However Villar was able to obtain from the Supreme Court a “writ of Kalikasan” against Alltech asking the later to reply on the petition.

Villar, in her petition which was signed by 315,000 residents of Las Pinas City, insisted that the Manila Bay reclamation project could cause catastrophic flooding in the area and threatened the livelihoods of thousands of residents since it covers 203 hectares of coastline in Paranaque City and 431 hectares of foreshore waters in Las Pinas City.

“Protection of the environment will save us from disasters and calamities. Calamities are added burden to us. It can make one poorer because all efforts would be futile if properties acquired through hard labor will only be destroyed by floods and other calamities,” explained Villar.

She said the LPPCHEA, is a very important area for the nearby cities of Las Pinas and Paranaque and some municipalities of Cavite to prevent flooding that is why there is a need to regularly clear Manila Bay of garbage.