Unfortunately, the bay is now a picture of contradictions. The pristine waters are now murky, the wide beaches are now reclaimed, and the pleasant smell has turned to a pungent odor.
Challenged by the present condition of the Bay, the DENR, 101st Squadron of Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (101st PCGA) and Manila Yacht Club (MYC) signed a memorandum of undertaking last Feb. 5 at the Manila Yacht Club, Roxas Blvd., Manila.
Signing in behalf of DENR was Undersecretary Armando A. de Castro, who was represented by Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, Asec. for Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects; for 101st PCGA was Cdr. Romeo J. Herman, squadron commander, and for MYC was RADM Ildefonso G. Tronqued, Jr Commodore of MYC.
Present during the signing were Julian D. Amador, Manila Bay Environmental Manager project (MBEMP) director, and Cdr. Valentine Prieto, Jr., project commander of the Marine Environment Protection Project (MAREP). Also present were officers and members of 101st PCGA DENR-MBEMP Project Manager and staff, and students and faculty members of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM).
Teh, who delivered a message, stressed the importance of shared responsibility in the protection and management of the marine environment and resources of the Manila Bay region, which also stipulated in thh MOU. She put emphasis on the need of partnership among all involved sector because the government cannot do the task alone.
For Herman, "This undertaking is a serious, daunting task. However, no job is to big for people sincere in their efforts to bring back Manila Bay to its original, prestigious nature," he said in his speech.
Tronqued, who also delivered a message, identified a new "group of terrorists". These new "terrorists are those destroying our only environment." For him, these terrorists can only be defeated through proper communication. "They do not know the effects of their actions, thus, they continue in causing damage to the environment," he continued.
After the MOU signing, PLM students and faculty members, with the assistance of 101st CGA, proceeded to the clean-up of the Bay along Roxas Boulevard. This clean-up is aimed to promote awareness among the youth of the situation of the Bay and how their sector could help it attaining the common vision of regaining the lost glory of Manila Bay.
The three signing parties look forward that the people will help them wage this war on environment terrorism," and that the younger generations will also share the childhood experience of their forefathers through the Bay because it will also be their park, their playground, and their source of livelihood.