QUEZON CITY, (PIA) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) has made significant progress in the three phases of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program, a sweeping effort to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve the iconic body of water.
Speaking at the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas media forum, DENR-NCR Director Michael Drake P. Matias provided an update on the program’s three-phase approach.
DENR-NCR Director Michael Drake P. Matias (right) converses with PIA-NCR Director Emver P. Cortez during the 8th edition of the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas in Quezon City. (Philippine Information Agency Facebook page screenshot)
Under Phase 1 from 2019 to 2023, focused on clean-up and water quality improvement, the DENR-NCR has deployed 1,467 Estero rangers and 164 river protection officers to collect 1,784,244 sacks of solid waste from the waterways.
“Aside from the actual clean-up activities, DENR-NCR also established 2,036 engineering interventions, such as trash bins, trash rafts, trash nets, and biogas digesters, to address the issue,” Matias said.
To complement these efforts, the DENR-NCR has also been surveying the waterways to inventory illegal structures within legal easements, as some of these structures have been causing flooding by interrupting the regular flow of water.
(Source: DENR-NCR presentation)
Looking ahead, Phase 2 of the program focused on resettlement and rehabilitation, while Phase 3 concentrated on protection and sustainment, he added.
Matias highlighted some of the Phase 3 activities, including the establishment of linear parks along 15 waterways, the installation of trash nets, mangrove conservation and rehabilitation, and public awareness campaigns through communication and barangay forums.
“The Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program is a comprehensive, multi-faceted effort to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve this vital natural resource,” Matias said. “We are making steady progress, but there is still much work to be done to restore Manila Bay to its former glory.”
The rehabilitation program is part of the DENR’s compliance with the Mandamus Ruling of the Supreme Court in 2008, which ordered 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay and restore its waters to SB level, or suitable for bathing, swimming, and other recreational activities.
The Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas is a project of the Presidential Communications Office and Philippine Information Agency to highlight to gains of various government agencies under the Marcos administration. (JVD/PIA-NCR)
