University of the Philippines Manila College of Arts and Sciences Padre Faura, Ermita, Manila FIGHT OR FLIGHT: A critical study on the perceived effects of the planned Aerotropolis of San Miguel Corporation—a reclamation project—to the community of fisherfolk and the environment of Taliptip, Bulakan, Bulacan An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to the Department of Social Sciences College of Arts and Sciences University of the Philippines Manila In Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements in Development Studies 199.2 for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies Prof. Reginald S. Vallejos, MPA Thesis Adviser Presented by: Gabrielle Louise Serrano 2015-46117 May 2019 Department of Social Sciences College of Arts and Sciences Fight or Flight | 1 University of the Philippines Manila Padre Faura, Ermita, Manila APPROVAL SHEET This thesis, entitled “FIGHT OR FLIGHT: A critical study on the perceived effects of the planned Aerotropolis of San Miguel Corporation—a reclamation project—to the community of fisherfolk and the environment of Taliptip, Bulakan, Bulacan”, prepared and written by Gabrielle Louise Serrano, in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Development Studies 199.2 for the Degree of Bachelor in Arts in Development Studies, is hereby recommended for approval. ___________________________ Prof. Reginald S. Vallejos, MPA Thesis Adviser Development Studies Program Department of Social Sciences This thesis is hereby accepted and approved as partial fulfillment for the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor in Arts in Development Studies. _______________________ Prof. Jerome A. Ong, MA Chairperson Department of Social Science ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Fight or Flight | 2 First and foremost, I would like to thank my thesis adviser, Professor Reginald Vallejos, for his inputs and suggestions. Without his help, I would have been lost for the whole duration of my research. He gave my thesis the direction it needed. Moreover, I am grateful to him for his unending patience and understanding. He never gave up on all of us, his thesis advisees, and understood our legitimate excuses for having backlogs. Second, I would like to thank my parents for helping me with my thesis expenses, and for supporting me all the way. I would also like to thank my family for understanding me when I did not have time for them because of my school requirements. Accomplishing this thesis is partly for them. Third, I would like to thank the professor who not only fulfilled his role as our professor in certain subjects but also became like a fatherly figure to us, Professor John Ponsaran, for always checking up on me as my thesis progressed. I am also grateful for his suggestions during the initial phase of my thesis. I am most grateful for his motivational messages; his messages always reminded me that I could and should finish my thesis. Fourth, I would like to thank my college best friend, Janessa Cervo, for lending a hand and spending an exhausting weekend of field research with me despite the danger of travelling only by a small boat. Without her help, I would not have accomplished much in my community data gathering. I am also grateful for her generous help with the printing of my thesis. I would also like to thank my friend Jonerie Pajalla for her creative input and for her willingness to help me in whatever way she could. She saved me both time and money by making long distance calls for me to follow up on my requests from various offices in Bulacan. I would also like to thank my friend, Kate Sultan, for always cheering for me. Fight or Flight | 3 Fifth, I would like to thank my friend, Celezthine Lappay, for suggesting the topic of my thesis. While I already had this topic in mind before she suggested it to me, her suggestion made me decide to pick this topic among the list I had. I would also like to thank my organization, UP Saribuhay, for introducing me to various environmental issues, and for making me passionate about helping not only the environment but also the people most vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation. I would also like to thank our parent organization, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, for inviting our organization to the 2nd People’s Summit on the Impacts of Reclamation. I was able to gather various professional perspectives on the possible effects of reclamation to the environment and community. Finally, I would like to thank AKAP KA Manila Bay for assisting and providing me with the documents they have gathered about the planned Aerotropolis. Sixth, I would like to thank the following offices: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Environmental Management Bureau – Region 3, DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office – Bulacan, and DENR Community Environment and Natural Resources Office – Bulacan, for providing assistance and relevant documents. Special thanks to CENRO Rolly Mulato and his staff for referring me to the right office where I could get the information I needed. Finally, Special thanks to PENRO Emelita Lingat for granting my request for an interview and discussing everything she knows about the issue, and to her staff Ofelia Conag and Winlove Bernales for providing me with the documents I requested. Seventh, I would like to thank Bulakan’s Municipal Planning and Development Office for providing me with documents about the town, and for allowing me to conduct my survey in Barangay Taliptip. I would also like to thank Barangay Taliptip’s chairperson, Fight or Flight | 4 Michael Ramos, for allowing me to do the survey, and Barangay Secretary Epifania Samat for assisting with the processing of my request and for referring me to a trusted boatman. Finally, I would like to thank Kuya Eteng, our boatman, for bringing us safely to our destinations, and for serving as our guide in the community. I would also like to thank Ka Charlie, Ka Joy, and Ka Meriam for warmly welcoming us to their sitio, and for providing an in-depth discussion about their woes about the impending project. I am grateful for their insights and assistance. Finally, I am grateful to each and every one of the people of the coastal sitios of Taliptip I have visited for their willingness to participate, time, and courage to express their sentiments about the issue. This thesis was made mainly and especially for them. May their rights be protected and upheld against the greed of the few. Fight or Flight | 5 ABSTRACT The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the main gateway to the Philippines. It has been catering to millions of Filipinos and foreign nationals going in and out of the country. Its efficiency must be consistently good because it holds the greatest number of inward and outward flights in the country. Because of its importance, the country cannot afford to experience magnanimous problems as these would disrupt the operations of the country’s most important international airport. Unfortunately, NAIA has been experiencing major issues in the past few years that have cause major disruptions to operations ultimately stranding thousands of passengers. The clamor for effective solutions to NAIA’s problems continues to intensify as NAIA’s efficiency declines. San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has given an unsolicited proposal that seeks to address these issues. SMC proposed building an entirely new airport in the municipality of Bulakan in a form of an Aerotropolis, an airport complex that would also house public and private offices, housing, shipping and storing facilities, and other business establishments. The proposal includes 4 parallel runways with a capacity of a maximum of 200 million passengers per year. The study assessed the impacts of the airport project to the residents and environment of the area. Case study questionnaires were distributed to and unstructured interviews were done with the residents. There are also scientific studies discussed from statements and papers of reputable Filipino scientists. Government officials were also consulted. Descriptive statistical analysis, thematic analysis, and triangulation of sources were used to analyze the data gathered. The study revealed that there are negative impacts on the socio-economic well-being (e.g. displacement and loss of livelihood) of the residents and on the area’s biodiversity. There are also hazards that would place the residents and the airport project at high risks for disasters. Fight or Flight | 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figures Figure 1: Map of Bulacan.………………………………………………………………14 Figure 2: Conceptual Framework………………………………………………….……27 Figure 3: Façade of the Bulakan Municipal Hall……………………………...………..34 Figure 4. Map and logo of Barangay Taliptip…………………………………………..36 Figure 5: Sitio Pariahan………………………………………………………………....37 Figure 6. Sitio Kinse………………………………………………………………....….38 Figure 7. Sitio Dapdap……………………………………...…………………………...39 Figure 8. Sitio Capiz…………………………………………………………………….39 Figure 9. Pie chart (sitio of residence)………………………... ………………………..40 Figure 10. Bar graph (age)………………………………….……………………………41 Figure 11. Pie chart (home ownership)……………………………………….………….41 Figure 12. Bar graph (number of people in their homes)………………………………..42 Figure 13. Blue crab caught by a resident……………………………………………….43 Figure 14. Pie graphs (income and social status perception)……………………………44 Figure 15. Pie graph (whether consulted or not)………………………………………...45 Figure 16. Graph (initial reaction)……………………………………………………….46 Figure 17. Pie chart (agree or not with the project)……………………………………...46 Figure 18. Pie chart (promise of a better life)……………………………………………47