Mayor Joseph Estrada reminded yesterday the public, especially Manileños, not to take a bath or swim in the polluted waters of Manila Bay, citing health risks.
Estrada issued this reminder as Manileños gear up for summer. “Time and again, we’ve been constantly telling everyone that is not safe to swim in Manila Bay. You’ll contract many diseases there,” he said.
The residents are urged to use instead the city government’s public swimming pools free of charge. “Here in Manila, we have five public pools. They can go there and swim all they want,” the mayor said.
Estrada said he was recently briefed by the Manila Health Department about the water quality in Manila Bay. As in the past years, he said, the bay still has a high amount of coliform or bacteria found in the feces of warm-blooded animals. (Cris G. Odronia)