Manila Bay is the transitional area (or delta) between the river-dominated catchments of Pampanga and Pasig rivers, and the open South China Sea. The use and environmental quality of Manila Bay is largely determined by the presence of Manila Metropolitan area in the coastal plain, its 25 million inhabitants and related economic activities. Successive changes in and around Manila Bay are largely due to the intertwining impacts of continued industrialization, unrelenting increase in population and the incessant human activities catering to the livelihood and habitation. Related industrial waste discharges and discharges of untreated domestic wastes from drainage and sewer outlets are directly degrading the overall environment of Manila Bay and those impacts are manifested in the continued deterioration of the water quality and ecology within the bay. Additional problems identified in Manila Bay include coastal erosion and siltation; coastal flooding, salinity intrusion, over-exploitation of fishery resources; degradation of habitats; and loss of biodiversity.
Considering the complex situation in the Manila Bay area, and its importance to the Philippine economy (i.e., the Manila Bay catchment generates some 53% of the country’s domestic product and is host to some 25 million people), it is imperative to develop an inclusive Master Plan and a supporting institutional framework to provide a vision for the entire development within the Bay area.
The Master Plan will be consistent with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), contribute to the achievement of the AmBisyon Natin 2040 vision, and support internationally agreed goals such as those contained in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
While traditional plans for Coastal Management and Development assume public financing, the MBSDMP approach aims to make use of solicited private sector investments to achieve strategic management and development goals for inclusive growth, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, upgrading informal settlements, ecosystem protection, and improved water quality – MBSDMP’s five focal themes.
These five focal themes revolve around the key issues and concerns related to the resiliency and sustainability of the Manila Bay and serve as the overarching framework for an integrated spatial and temporal analyses of the past, present and emerging future conditions of the whole Manila Bay area.
Once adopted, the implementation of MBSDMP is intended to be within a 22-year period that will end in CY 2040.
As the MBSDMP formulation progresses, the following measures will be simultaneously undertaken. These measures are aimed at formulating an inclusive and sustainable MBSDMP.
The formulation of MBSDMP is under the auspices of the Philippine’s National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and with support from the Dutch Government.
In January 2018, NEDA engaged the Joint Venture of Orient Integrated Development Consultants, Inc. (OIDCI/Lead Firm), Tractebel, Inc., and University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation, Inc. (UPLBFI) as the Local Consulting Firm (LCF) in leading the formulation of MBSDMP. NEDA with the support from the Dutch Government also contracted Deltares, the international Dutch Expert Team (DET) to complement the LCF in the undertaking.
MBSDMP Project Management Structure
MBSDMP Study Team
More information about the plan formulation process for MBSDMP is contained in the FAQ.