I just read some articles about a government infrastructure project that is building the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike (LLED) from Bicutan (Metro Manila) Los Baños (Laguna, my province). The expressway will be 500 meters away but still following the shoreline of Laguna Lake. The whole idea is to relieve traffic along this heavily-travelled roads and to protect Metro Manila from major floods.  

In studying this, Geologist Kevin Rodolfo figures that if there is a major earthquake in the West Marikina Valley Fault, the expressway-dike could break and cause catastrophic flooding in Metro Manila, the very same area they are trying to protect with the construction of the expressway. It just so happens that on May 2015, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) actually issued a warning that the West Marikina Valley Fault System is ripe for movement, which could mean an earthquake of about 7.2 magnitude. So, if this expressway-dike is completed, is it a catastrophe waiting to happen?

Another issue in the expressway-dike project is the reclamation of 700 hectares of land in Laguna Lake to make 7 100-hectare islands where buildings will rise. There will also be a lot of displaced fisherfolk and farmers with the construction of this project.

This project is also one of the biggest Public-Private Partnership projects under President Benigno Aquino?s administration. The cost upfront of constructing is so huge (at $2.7 billion) and any revenues will take longer to achieve, so one of the pre-qualified bidders is already rethinking its bid. I wonder if they are also thinking of all the possible problems that the scientists like Mr. Rodolfo are studying.