Bishops in dioceses that front Manila Bay have asked the government to scrap plans for a 94,000-acre reclamation project.

"For us bishops, worried about the poor who are affected severely by floods, we see that stopping the reclamation is seriously needed," Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez of Manila told Catholic News Service.

Cardinal Luis Tagle, the country's military bishop and bishops of 12 dioceses based in the Manila area wrote President Benigno Aquino III, asking him to scrap the project and use the money to fund initiatives to alleviate poverty and protect the environment.