| The Pasig of Maria Clara's time is a far cry from the Pasig River we see today. No thanks to the more than 300 factories and the homes of 10,000 families lining the banks of Pasig which have virtually turned the river system into a waste basin. The river, which stretches for 25 kilometers from Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay, serves as a major transport route, source of water, and lifeline of Laguna de Bay (one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world) as such it is a vital ecosystem and an irreplaceable natural resource. Yet, for centuries the Pasig River has been used, abused, and neglected. Since the early 1500s, commerce and day-to-day needs have pressed Pasig and its tributaries into tireless service.
The river has now been declared a critical water body because of the unspeakable amount of waste dumped into it daily by households and industries. About 330 tons of industrial and domestic wastes are discharged everyday in this waterway, depleting the biochemical oxygen needed to support marine life. Until recently, little has been done to protect the river system. Past efforts to rehabilitate Pasig river were unsuccessful because they failed to take into account the larger context of the urban environment of which Pasig river is a part.
Recent initiatives In December 1989, the government began working on a comprehensive rehabilitation program for Pasig with Denmark. The Pasig River Rehabilitation Program (PRRP), was an integrated effort to bring back ecological health to the river system. The lead agency of the PRRP is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) which works closely with the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA). Cooperating with the PRRP are various national government agencies, local governments, non-government organizations, community groups, professional associations, and business groups. The PRRP aims to upgrade the environmental state of Pasig within 15 years. Its scope of work includes projects that focus on commercial, industrial, and household pollution; solid waste management; squatter resettlement; waterways dredging; hauling sunken barges; riverside development; and public awareness. Rehabilitating the historic river is a daunung task in terms of arresting the various sources of pollution at their source, and in making sure that the pmgram is maintained until all goals have been met. Rehabilitating a river The rehabilitation of Pasig became one of the priority programs of government which believes that sustainable development is a key element in providing people with a clean and healthy environment. On January 6, 1999, President Estrada signed Executive Order No. 54 creating the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) to manage the rehabilitation efforts for the river and regulate the dumping of untreated wastewater and solid waste on this waterway. It also involves resettling squatters along the Pasig and the development of parks by the riverside. The PRRC adopts the goals of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Program, especially that which includes relocating squatters in the river area, developing parks, keeping watch on industries along the river, and monitoring water quality. In addition, Presidential Decrees No. 600 (1974) and 979 (1976), or the anti-marine pollution laws, will be the bases for prosecuting river polluters, including those that pollute the Pasig tributaries. The government, through the DENR, will vigorously implement pollution control laws, rules, and regulations including the apprehension and imposition of penalties on violators of these laws. It has likewise initiated linkups with the private sector like the Sagip Pasig Movement and the Piso Para sa Pasig which have been most helpful in community organizing, promoting community-based waste management program, and launching beautification projects. In addition, public consultation plus socio-economic acceptability are prerequisites for projects under the Environmental Impact Assessment System before environmental compliance certificates are issued. These linkups ensure that the Pasig River is free from both industrial and household pollution. The Belgian government has also offered help by way of a P20 million grant for dredging. The government's original estimate of P15 billion is not enough to rehabilitate the Pasig River. More will be needed to settle squatters and private firms encroaching on the river. Many old boats and barges also have to be removed, apart from resettling around 40,000 riverside residents.
Resettlement of squatters President Estrada said his administration will follow a "no relocation, no demolition" policy in implementing its its socialized housing program for squatters which involves an initial 1,000 families living along the danger areas around the Pasig. They comprise the first batch of beneficiaries to be relocated under the government's three-year rehabilitation program. Some P4 billion will be spent to transfer these squatter-families to medium-rise buildings near Metro Manila. The Chief Executive appealed to riverbank commu-nities to cooperate in the relocation efforts even as he assured them that their shanties will not be demolished unless there are suitable resettlement sites for them. Looking for government land that can be used as relocation sites is one of the tasks of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Jejomar Binay, who also chairs the PRRC, however, says some squatters relocated to low-cost homes lease their units and return to their old sites. To ensure that they do not return, the President ordered mayors and barangay captains to patrol their respective areas. With all these initiatives and concerted efforts of government and the citizenry, the environmental health of the Pasig river will hopefully be restored by the year 2008. In a few years after that, Pasig River will, hopefully, regain its past grandeur.
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