QUEZON CITY (05 April 2022) – Following the public hearing on the proposed Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) by San Miguel Corporation last March 25, Move As One Coalition– composed of civil society organizations, heritage groups, local government officials, Greenpeace, and other stakeholders, found that some parts of the road project’s environmental impact statement (EIS) appeared to have been copied from other reports. 

Reacting to this, Greenpeace Campaigner Rhea Jane Mallari said:

“This shows that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conducted by the proponent and its consultant may not have been carried out properly, or even at all. The assessment and the public hearing were supposed to recognize the role of the people in planning and development of their cities–a huge project such as this should involve civil society in the decision making, and the decision should be for people and the planet, not for the interests of a few. We join the coalition in demanding transparency, and in asking the DENR to reject this destructive project.”

On April 4, the coalition wrote a letter flagging the alleged plagiarism to Engineer William P. Cuñado, the director of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). They outlined the questions that remain to be addressed by the proponents of PAREX and cited the deficiencies in the draft EIA report and the process. 

Earlier, the Move As One Coalition also requested for a postponement of the deliberation on the proposed PAREX, as well as access to all the documents submitted by the proponents. The DENR-EMB has yet to respond to this request.

Greenpeace stressed the need for climate-resilient cities, pointing to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report on climate mitigation. Mallari said: “The latest series of reports from the IPCC underscores  the urgent action needed from local governments to build resilience to climate change. PAREX will not only negatively impact the environment and people’s livelihoods, but also hamper the Pasig River’s role in controlling floods in Metro Manila cities. Local governments should instead support people-centered development, specifically projects that promote shared low-emissions, mobility for all, and more green spaces.”

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Notes to Editors

[1] Move As One Coalition’s letter to DENR-EMB dated April 4, 2022

[2] Greenpeace Philippines’ position paper on the PAREX EIS

Media contact

Katrina Eusebio-Santillan

Digital Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines

[email protected] | +639992296451