EDITORIAL
Whenever there are flash floods during heavy rains, and in the season of storms and typhoons, focus is given to the state of the rivers in the towns and cities inside Metro Manila and those in surrounding provinces.
These rivers, with the Pasig River at the core, are responsible for naturally draining the National Capital Region of excess rain water, moving them downstream toward Manila Bay.
There are four major rivers in the NCR — Pasig River, San Juan River, Paranaque River, and Navotas-Malabon-Tullahan-Tinejeros River—and many tributaries and estuaries. These bodies of water compose the natural drainage system that for centuries have been used in this bustling area of Luzon. However, they cannot do their work of pushing volumes of water towards the Manila Bay and the Laguna Lake well today. And this is because they have become shallow and clogged by tons of garbage dumped in these rivers by residents and business establishments.
It is the prime duty of the government to maintain the health and cleanliness of these rivers, and of Manila Bay and Laguna Lake for that matter. We cannot forever depend on Ramon S. Ang and his San Miguel Corporation to dredge these rivers for free as part of San Miguel’s corporate service responsibility.
This is the reason behind the backhoes-on-barge project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). A total of 11 units of backhoes-on-barge were turned over to local government units (LGUs) to be used for the continuing efforts to clean up rivers and waterways flowing out to the Manila Bay under a project worth P491 million.
Marking yet another milestone in the Manila Bay Rehabilitation project, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said "it is important to remember that the health of our rivers directly impacts the health of our communities."
"We encourage the LGUs to use these backhoes-on-barge not only for the cleanup and dredging of the waterways and coastal areas of the Manila Bay region but also to help avert floods that threaten lives and properties in many vulnerable communities as a result of climate change," Loyzaga said.
Recipients of the eleven backhoes-on-barge are the local governments of Malabon, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Pasay, Pasig, Pateros, Quezon City, Taguig, San Fernando in Pampanga, Obando in Bulacan, and Bacoor in Cavite.
“This is made possible by the partnership forged in 2021 between the DENR and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to provide LGUs with tools and heavy equipment to dredge and desilt waterways and collect submerged garbage as part of the continuing rehabilitation efforts in this historical and valuable bay,” Loyzaga said.
"LGUs play a pivotal role in the success of the Manila Bay rehabilitation initiatives. I commend the dedication of our local leaders who have been our partners in implementing innovative solid waste management programs in their areas of jurisdiction such as the installation of trash traps and cleanup of rivers and esteros," the environment secretary pointed out.
The Manila Bay rehabilitation was mandated by the Supreme Court (SC) in a Continuing Mandamus Order dated Dec. 18, 2008, and required DENR, DPWH among other state agencies, LGUs and two water concessionaires to clean up and rehabilitate the Bay as well as restore and maintain its waters to a safe level.
The SC order paved the way for the creation of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Task Force in 2019 by virtue of Administrative Order No. 16, with the DENR Secretary as chairperson and department heads of the Interior and Local Government and of Tourism as vice chairpersons. The DENR-led Task Force has 13 members from various national government agencies and from water concessionaires — Manila Water Company, Inc. and Maynilad Water Services, Inc.
It is worth mentioning that the task force has been taking remedial measures to bring Manila Bay back to life. These measures include engineering and technological assistance to improve the water quality of esteros and waterways that empty to the bay, the rehabilitation of old sewer lines in the National Capital Region, and the relocation of informal settler families residing in the vicinity of Manila Bay.
Since 2019, more than 1.1 million cubic meters of solid wastes and silt have been dredged in the river systems, esteros, and coastal areas in the National Capital area of the Bay region. Last year, the Manila Bay rehabilitation project got a major boost with the partnership between the DENR and San Miguel Corporation to clean up the Tullahan-Tinajeros river system in the north of Manila and Malabon, through DENR's Adopt-a-River program.
Let us encourage more public-private cooperation in all our projects for the environment.
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