MANILA, Philippines — Early 2019 saw the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) rallying all concerned sectors to work together and support efforts to rehabilitate the heavily polluted Manila Bay.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu even gave commitment that DENR personnel will be “at the front row” to achieve the goal of making the coastal waters of Manila Bay fit for swimming again.
Although Manila Bay is still known for having one of the most beautiful sunsets, its waters are considered the most polluted in the country due to domestic sewage, toxic industrial effluents from factories and shipping operations, and leachate from garbage dumps.
Cimatu said the government is prepared to show political will to enforce the 2008 Supreme Court mandamus to clean up Manila Bay and its tributaries.
Before the formal launching of the Manila Bay rehabilitation program, DENR said it started identifying establishments that are non-compliant with environmental laws, particularly the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.
“We will not only clean Manila Bay, we will be able to do something better for our countrymen and for the next generation,” Cimatu stressed.
The official said the regional offices of the DENR in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon region, as well as its provincial offices in Pampanga and Bataan, will be involved in the rehabilitation efforts.
The DENR’s goal, he said, is to bring down the coliform level in all esteros to 100 most probable number (MPN) per 100 milliliters (ml).
The agency had previously reported that the coliform level in Manila Bay had reached as much as 330 million MPN/100 ml, which is 3.3 million percent over the standard.
Malacañang has approved a budget for the rehabilitation program amounting to P42.95 billion for three years. This amount will cover cleanup of priority waterways, relocation of informal settler families (ISFs), and implementation of temporary sanitation facilities in ISF communities prior to relocation.
According to Cimatu, around P6 billion or roughly 14 percent of the allocation will be used for cleanup activities, including information and education campaign on the importance of keeping Manila Bay clean.
The remaining P36 billion will be spent for relocation and provision of support systems like access to jobs and livelihoods and construction of town centers with recreational areas, markets, church, schools and hospitals.
SC mandamus
It was in 2008 when the Supreme Court issued a mandamus directing the DENR and 12 other government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay and to restore and maintain its water quality to Class SB level.
Class SB level classifies coastal and marine waters as safe for regular use by the public for activities such as bathing, swimming and skin diving.
However, efforts of mandamus agencies to clean up the bay have not been visible or felt during the 10 years the high court directive has been in effect.
This prompted Cimatu to call on all government offices around Manila Bay to ensure their compliance with the country’s clean water and solid waste management laws in line with the rehabilitation of the heavily polluted bay.
“Solid waste remains a huge problem in the country owing to non-segregation, rampant use of single-use plastic products and improper waste disposal,” the official said.
He also said that government buildings should set a good example to commercial and residential establishments surrounding Manila Bay and its tributaries in complying with environmental laws, particularly the Clean Water Act of 2004 and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Cimatu pointed out that it is important for government offices, particularly those in the Manila Bay area, to make sure they are connected to sewer lines or have their own sewage treatment plants for proper wastewater disposal. He also reminded them to manage their solid waste to minimize garbage that end up in landfills or oceans.
The DENR chief also appealed to local government units (LGUs) to manage their septage by ensuring that all commercial and residential establishments in their areas are treating their wastewater prior to discharge to water bodies.
He reminded them of their duty to implement environmental laws and to clear waterways of informal settlers who contribute to water pollution.
Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 provides that LGUs are primarily responsible for waste segregation and disposal.
On Jan. 27, 2018, the program dubbed “Battle for Manila Bay” was finally launched. It brought together more than 10,000 participants, mostly personnel from the DENR and 12 other government agencies tasked by the Supreme Court to clean up and rehabilitate Manila Bay.
Aside from the DENR, other agencies that took part in the rehabilitation are the Department of Tourism, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of National Defense, and Department of Science and Technology.
Other participating agencies were the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, National Housing Authority, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Manila Water Co. Inc., Maynilad Water Services Inc., various local government units, non-government organizations and other stakeholders.
And to speed up rehabilitation efforts, President Duterte issued Administrative Order 16 creating the inter-agency Manila Bay Task Force.
Cimatu was designated as the task force chairperson, with Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat as vice chairs.
Specifically, the DENR was tasked to strictly enforce Sections 16 and 19 of Republic Act 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 on the conduct of containment, removal, and cleanup operations, and the exercise or supervision and control on all aspects of water quality management in Manila Bay.
Following the secretary’s announcement, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), an attached agency of DENR, started issuing closure orders to establishments found dumping untreated wastewater into Manila Bay and have no proper wastewater facility.
Improper wastewater disposal is a violation of RA 9275 and could be a ground for closure of the establishment and its wastewater facilities.
Violations include non-compliance with RA 9275, RA 8749 or the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, and RA 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act.
There were also businesses found operating with no Environmental Compliance Certificates in violation of Presidential Decree 1586 or the Environmental Impact Statement System.
A month after the rehabilitation program was launched, Cimatu issued a challenge to the 178 mayors of cities and municipalities surrounding the bay to do their share in the rehabilitation of Manila Bay by cleaning up rivers and estuaries leading to the heavily polluted water body.
The Manila Bay region has a coastline of 190 kilometers and covers Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Regions III and IV-A) and the National Capital Region. It consists of 178 local government units and 17 major river systems.
Bioremediation
Starting March, the DENR took the Manila Bay rehabilitation effort down to the esteros and rivers draining into the bay with simultaneous cleanup activities, including bioremediation, infrastructure improvement and other engineering interventions.
Bioremediation refers to the use of naturally occurring microorganisms or other forms of life to consume and break down environmental pollutants in order to clean up a polluted site.
Cimatu also issued Memorandum Circular 2019-01 requiring all establishments within the Manila Bay region to connect to existing sewer lines or set up their own sewerage treatment plants to ensure that wastewater is properly collected and treated according to DENR standards.
The circular covers all government facilities, subdivisions, condominiums, commercial centers, hotels, sports and recreational facilities, hospitals, market places, public buildings, industrial complex and other similar establishments.
The DENR commissioned a vulnerability assessment for the Manila Bay rehabilitation project last June by the Ecosystem Research and Development Bureau. The study revealed that an intensified solid waste management program, stricter monitoring of polluting industries, and reforestation of watershed and mangrove areas are necessary to ensure the success of efforts to rehabilitate the bay.
Cimatu also took to task ISFs living along waterways by reminding them to avail themselves of the government’s relocation program.
Last Sept. 21, the DENR again launched another massive cleanup of Manila Bay, as the nation joined the rest of the world in observing the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2019.
Established in 1986 by the Washington-based environmental group Ocean Conservancy, the ICC is recognized as the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean’s health.
In a meeting with senior officials of the DENR in November, Cimatu gave the go signal for the hiring of at least 2,000 estero rangers who will help LGUs within and near Manila Bay to address indiscriminate waste disposal and improve garbage collection within their respective jurisdictions.
Recent updates on the Manila Bay rehabilitation showed that there has been great improvement in the bay’s water quality.
DENR said portions of Manila Bay, particularly in the Bataan and Cavite area, are now swimmable.