President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he has directed acting Environment Secretary Jim Sampulna to halt the acceptance of applications for reclamation activities. Duterte gave the directive, as he acknowledged that proposals to conduct massive land reclamation are nothing but a breeding ground for corruption. “Tanang application karon sa reclamation — tanan and it could include Cebu and Mindanao — giingnan nako si Acting Secretary na iundang tanan (All the applications right now for reclamation — all and it could include Cebu and Mindanao — I told the Acting Secretary to stop all of it),” he said in a speech delivered in Lapu-Lapu City.

Geducos, A. C. B. (2022, April 2). PRRD orders DENR to shun applications for reclamation activities. Manila Bulletin, p. 2.