Duterte Stops Cleaning Of Manila's Pasig River, Says It's 'Uncleanable'

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed Executive Order (EO) # 93, ordering that the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) be abolished. The reason he gave was that the river was already beyond the point of cleanability. The PRRC on Thursday said it would respect the decision to abolish the agency.

Duterte may not be an expert in water management nor an environmental scientist with knowledge of water treatment processes but he does seem to have a talent for recognizing redundancy with government-funded agencies.

No fewer than five other agencies will now assume the duties of the defunct PPRC. These include the Manila Bay Task Force; the departments of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), and Public Works and Highways (DPWH); and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

A statement issued by the PRRC said, “Rest assured that the efforts for the rehabilitation of the Pasig River shall carry on as planned and we remain hopeful that the mandated agencies will continue the legacy of the Commission and the predecessors of the Pasig River rehabilitation program.”

The functions of the agencies that will carry on the work as directed by EO #93 are:

• The Manila Bay Task Force will update and take the lead in the overall implementation of the Pasig River rehabilitation master plan.
• The DENR works to ensure that the easements provided for in the Civil Code and other laws are enforced especially in all the esteros (estuaries) and waterways that drain into the Pasig River, as well as to stop the dumping of untreated industrial wastewater and sewerage into the river.
• The DHSUD helps relocate informal settlers and other unauthorized or unlawful occupants along the banks of the river. Indigent people, or squatters, who occupy vacant properties are a big problem in the Philippines.
• The MMDA and DPWH ensure dismantling and removal of all structures and other encroachments along the Pasig River that are in violation of the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992. The agencies will also undertake civil works such as dredging and cleaning of the Pasig River and all the inland channels, esteros and waterways that drain into it.

The PRRC was created in 1999 under EO #54 by then-President Joseph Estrada with a goal to ensure that the waterway was restored to its historically pristine condition and was beneficial to transport, recreation, and tourism. In September, Duterte fired the agency’s former head, Jose Antonio Goitia, due to allegations of corruption. It was then that he called the river “uncleanable” and considered abolishing the agency altogether.

Duterte is incorrect that the waterway is uncleanable. With the exception of radioactive waste and perhaps some heavy metal contaminants, the key to cleaning any body of water is to stop adding pollutants like raw sewage and trash, clean up plastic and other non-biodegradable materials as best possible, and then let Mother Nature do her best. It should not take an additional government agency to accomplish that.