As many as one million direct and indirect jobs will be created within the six-year construction period for what is dubbed as the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan.

The airport project, dubbed Aerotropolis, also threatens the livelihood of more than 5,000 residents, mostly fishermen, in this town’s coastal villages. Although villagers were told that they would be given a relocation site, they had not been informed about where and when they would be resettled, Valiente said.

Fisherfolks and residents in this town have called on the local government unit of Bulakan to study thoroughly the possible effects on their source of livelihood the unsolicited proposal of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to build an international airport. They also refuted the earlier article in a national broadsheet newspaper that the association of fishermen in the town of Bulakan, particularly in Barangay Taliptip, will not oppose the PHP700-billion project.

The fishermen also expressed concern about the reclamation of sea once the construction of the proposed airport started, claiming it will block the flow of water from the mountains that can cause deluge not only in the town of Bulakan but also its neighboring municipalities.

Around 16 houses were built in nearby barangays of Sta. Ana, Bambang, Tibig, and San Nicolas in Bulakan town for the relocation of the affected settlers who previously lived in shanties in Taliptip.

Relocation of homes

Relocation of homes. The Save Taliptip movement earlier reported that San Miguel allegedly offered residents P250,000 in exchange for the self-demolition of their houses.

SMC has been providing livelihood and training projects to the residents of Taliptip and Bambang, including mangrove planting and mangrove crab production, fish and meat processing, and entrepreneurship. SMC also teamed up with the Technical Education Skills Development Authority to provide complete training in different courses for 58 former Taliptip coastal residents.

PAMALAKAYA Narod Eco, a researcher at the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines Diliman, also warned the airport is prone to various geohazards in the area, including rapid land subsidence, flooding, and enhanced ground shaking.

PAMALAKAYA Narod Eco, a researcher at the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines Diliman, also warned the airport is prone to various geohazards in the area, including rapid land subsidence, flooding, and enhanced ground shaking. The Save Taliptip movement earlier reported that San Miguel allegedly offered residents P250,000 in exchange for the self-demolition of their houses.