Birds, politician, powerful businessman embroiled in land reclamation

AllTech Contractors Inc. – proponent of the Manila Bay Reclamation project – on Wednesday said business tycoon Ramon Ang is not involved in the controversial P14-billion reclamation works.   “He is not part of AllTech,” the company’s project manager Peter Suchianco said in an interview with reporters.   Ang is president and chief operating officer of San Miguel Corp. as well as flag carrier Philippine Airlines.   However, Suchianco, who was a consultant of diversified conglomerate San Miguel, revealed that AllTech had been approaching several businessmen to invest in the company and shore up its P50-million start-up capital.   Suchiano made the statement after environmental group Wild Bird Club of the Philippines implicated Ang in the Manila Bay Reclamation project.   “We think – instead of blaming bird – a more interesting story is figuring out the connections between Ang, Amari and AllTech and how is this 20-year old story about the grandmother of all scams just refuses to dies,” the group claimed on Wednesday in a separate press conference.   Ang earlier remarked that the Philippines may miss the opportunity for a category status upgrade from the US Federal Aviation Authority because of the bird sanctuary, adding that bird strikes pose a threat to airliners landing and taking off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.   Still, the Wild Bird Club argued that birds from the sanctuary were not the principal source of bird strikes but domesticated pigeons.   AllTech, Philippine Reclamation Authority, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources are respondents to the Writ of Kalikasan filed by former Congresswoman Cynthia Villar and residents of Las Piñas. The case is now pending before the Court of Appeals   In her petition, Villar claimed the reclamation would not only threaten the wildlife in the area but also worsen the flooding in Las Piñas, Parañaque and Bacoor which would serve as the catch basin for the reclaimed area along Roxas Boulevard.   Fictitious company?   The first hearing of the environmental case was postponed after AllTech failed to provide the environmental impact study of the P14-billion reclamation project.   Succeeding hearings were set for October 10,12, 17 and 19.   Meanwhile, former solicitor Frank Chavez, Villar’s legal counsel, tagged AllTech as a ‘fictitious’ company.   “Itong AllTech was capitalized only for P50 million, the proposed project is 14 billion… Mukhang walang permanent address itong AllTech at saka mukhang fictitious ito,” Chavez said.   Chavez challenged AllTech to reveal its investors. “Sinasabi nila na eventually magkakaroon sila ng financial investors, fine, but kailangan somehow along the way, you have to declare who these people are. Otherwise, eh mayroon kang tinatago.”   Asked if he knows a possible connection between Ang and AllTech, he said, “Sa totoo lang, wala akong alam kung pumapasok siya dito o hindi… in all fairness.”   However, he noted that Ang is a director of Cyberbay City Corporation, the former owner of  PEA-Amari, the former developers of the controversial reclamation project. — VS, GMA News