By ELLALYN RUIZ, ERMA EDERA
THE Manila Bay rehabilitation project kicked off Sunday with simultaneous activities surrounding the bay and its tributaries.
The rehabilitation, which Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu dubbed as the “Battle for Manila Bay,” brought together more than 5,000 participants, mostly personnel from the DENR and 12 other government agencies tasked by the Supreme Court to cleanup and rehabilitate Manila Bay in 2008.
The activity began with a solidarity walk from the Quirino Grandstand to the baywalk area. Cimatu led the pledge of commitment by all stakeholders and declared the start of the Manila Bay rehabilitation.
As earlier announced, Cimatu served notices of violation or cease and desist orders against three establishments, namely Aristocrat Restaurant on Roxas Boulevard, Gloria Maris Restaurant at the CCP Complex, and Esplanade (San Miguel By The Bay) at the Mall of Asia Complex.
These establishments “discharge untreated water to esteros, rivers and other tributaries that flow into Manila Bay.” They were initially found to be non-compliant with effluent standards under the Republic Act 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 and may pay fines of up to P200,000 per day.
The facilities for wastewater discharge will be closed following the cease and desist order, not necessarily the establishment, DENR said.
“We cannot afford to prolong this cleanup activity because this has long been neglected. Ang pinakamahirap sa rehab ay ang pag-sustain nito. Manila Bay is not a lost cause,” Cimatu said.
Cimatu said the rehabilitation does not only involve cleanup but also relocation of illegal settlers and ensuring compliance by establishments around Manila Bay to the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 and other environmental laws.
He said he will order informal settlers living in waterways to leave and ask them if they want to go home to their provinces.
The rehabilitation launch on Sunday was also highlighted by simultaneous activities in areas surrounding the Manila Bay.
In Metro Manila, volunteers conducted tree-planting at the Marine Tree Park in Navotas City, while “bakawan (mangrove) warriors” led the cleanup activities using trash boats at the Las Pinas Paranaque Critical Habitat Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA).
Around 10 truckloads or 45.59 tons of garbage were collected during the start of Manila Bay rehabilitation, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.
In Central Luzon, the rehabilitation was launched in the towns of Obando, Mariveles and Guagua in Bulacan, Bataan and Pampanga provinces, respectively.
Meanwhile, in Region 4A, a silt curtain was laid out around a bridge along Manila-Cavite Expressway or CAVITEX, and a cleanup activity was conducted at Talaba Dos in Bacoor, Cavite.
DENR Undersecretary Sherwin Rigor explained that the silt curtain is only a short-term solution to contain the wastes spilled by esteros or waterways into the Manila Bay.
One of the goals is to reduce the level of fecal coliform in Manila Bay to below 100 most probable number (MPN) per 100 milliliters.
A 2017 report by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau showed that fecal coliform level in Manila Bay reached as high as 330 million MPN per 100 milliliters. (with a report from Jel Santos)