The National Economic and Development Authority and the Philippine Reclamation Authority signed a joint memorandum circular putting more teeth into the regulation of reclamation activities.
The joint circular was signed Thursday by Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia and PRA general manager and chief executive and Janilo Rubiato.
Neda said in a statement Monday the circular aimed to enforce the strict implementation of Executive Order 146, which delegates to the Neda Board the power to approve reclamation projects.
The joint directive aims “to foster heightened compliance with the approval of reclamation projects” and “prevent indiscriminate illegal reclamation activities which lack prior Neda Board approval,” the agency said.
It states that “completed staff work by the PRA and the corresponding PRA Board endorsement, through a PRA Board Resolution, of a reclamation project… or infrastructure project should be obtained before submission to the NEDA Board Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) and/or NEDA Board, as the case may be.”