Fisherfolks from the Laguna Lake returned the blame to the Philippine government for taking advantage of the massive flooding to force thousands of residents along the lake to relocate, which in truth would give way for the construction of a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project around the lake.

Mamamayan para sa Pagpapanatili at Pagpapaunlad ng Lawa ng Laguna (MAPAGPALA) spokesperson Bonifacio Federizo said the Philippine government has an existing Technical Cooperation Agreement with the People's Republic of China through Chinese firms Xiamen Rongtai and China State Construction Engineering Corp., to develop an investment area around Laguna de Bay.

The $2.5-billion project called Laguna-Rizal Ecological Transport System (LABART) is said to cover 150 kilometers of the Laguna Lake shoreline. The lakeshore is 220 kilometers long.

Federizo said the project is a construction of an integrated road and railway system from Metro Manila to Laguna and Rizal, which will compose of 150 kms of shoreline embankment road, 30 km of causeway structure, and 25 kms of land-based on-grade road and railway.

He said the project will reclaim parts of the 90,000-hectare Laguna de Bay in Calamba and Pakil towns in Laguna, and Taguig City.

He also noted that in December 2008, the Taguig City government has entered into a joint venture with the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to reclaim 3,000 hectares of shoreline to construct airport and commercial area.