The Netherlands can help clean up Manila Bay

Last week on Oct. 4 I wrote about a plan for the Manila Yacht Club to take the cudgels under the leadership of Commodore Bobby Joseph to spearhead the clean up drive of the world famous Manila Bay. I’m not saying that this is an easy task to do, but someone has to take the lead in bringing the entire community living around the Manila Bay to make a commitment to help clean up our own environment. Too many of us have accepted the reality in doing what we can about climate change but come now, what can we really do for climate change that can truly help change things for the better? As of this week, I got word from Commodore Bobby Joseph that he has accepted this challenge.

Also in response to that article, I got a letter emailed to me by my good friend Rick Ramos who wrote,

“Hi Bobit, I can just realized that the reclamation of Manila Bay for the runway to compliment a new international airport terminal in Cavite, Sangley, does not necessarily mean that the remaining 800-hectare mangroves on the shores of Parañaque and Las Piñas will be decimated. I was in Orlando, Florida in October 2016 and remembered their beautiful airport. There was landscaping with ponds and lagoons, which I believe also serves as catchment area for the rainwater. Hence, it is possible to reclaim 1,000 -2,000 hectares in the Manila Bay without killing the mangroves. Thanks and regards. Rick”

Actually one of the things that all the communities living around Manila Bay can do is come up with a Garbage Trap at the mouth of all the rivers and creeks facing the Manila Bay. Of course the best way to clean up Manila Bay is for the people to stop throwing their garbage or refuse into the river. But that sounds like an impossible task… hence the best way is to stop the garbage from entering Manila Bay by blocking all exits from all rivers and creeks that exit into Manila Bay.

Of course, I expect all local government units to come up with strict laws on homes or houses that are located on the beach front to be penalized with the highest penalty. Those living in said areas should be relocated far from the beach so we could put the strong arm of the law to get Manila Bay cleaned up, hopefully within five years when this program is ready to be implemented!

Incidentally Rick also texted me that one of the things that he would look into is the so-called Manila Bay Sustainable Development Masterplan of which P50 million in grant money from the P250 million was allotted for this masterplan. Let’s hope that there is such a masterplan and that the Netherlands would support this proposal because they are the masters of solving this problem. That’s why I was dismayed when then Pres. Benigno Aquino scrapped a water project in Laguna de Bay operated by the Netherlands government.

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Last week when Pres. Rodrigo Duterte said that he had a “growth” within him…pro-Duterte followers were distraught at this news while it sent a fresh hope for the followers of the Liberal Party’s Leni Robredo to finally take over the position of President. But in the end Pres. Duterte said he has polyps and joked that he has “battery syndrome,” as he assured the nation that he is healthy and cancer-free after tests on his Barrett’s disease came out negative. The President had said he has polyps in his intestines, but it’s nothing. It’s benign. It’s a polyp but not cancer, and he was in high spirits.

So the year 2019 mid-term polls would certainly be held by pro-Duterte candidates. Already in Cebu Pres. Duterte told Mayor Osmena that he might campaign against him. So far in Cebu the PDP-Laban already took in the Team Rama which is the opposition to the Bando Osmena Pundok-Kauswagan (BOPK). Also in Cebu former Governor now 3rd District Representative Gwen F. Garcia indicated that she would be running for Governor again because Cebu was losing a lot under Gov. Hilario Davide III. I don’t blame her because Gov. Davide has nothing to show!

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October is considered by the Catholic Church as the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary most especially that it is the Holy Month of the Rosary. So there is a Fatima 101 Marian Symposium with the theme “Re-lived Her Messages and Prophecies of Our Times” this coming Saturday, Oct. 13, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 11th floor Express Inn on Jones Avenue. Those who are Marian followers please attend this in order to relive the many things that our Blessed Virgin Mary prophesied for our future.

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