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Reclamation projects: Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada wants to know whether the reclamation projects in Manila Bay, which were temporarily suspended by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., would resume operations after compliance review. Sen. Cynthia Villar, sponsor of the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), told Estrada early Tuesday morning, November 21, 2023, that the continuation of the reclamation projects would depend on whether the ongoing study being conducted on them would show that they are bad for the country. “May I know how many reclamation projects are there in the country and where these projects are?” Estrada asked. Villar said there are a total of 96 major reclamation projects across the country with 22 in Manila Bay and its vicinity. Estrada said he noticed some dredging operations being done along Manila Bay despite the suspension of the reclamation projects. Villar told Estrada they were just maintenance operations but asked DENR officials to check on them. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)