bathing in the pasig river is very dangerous .

Drinking from the Pasig River is very dangerous!

Nice River

wow....nice station....also some buildings beside the river are sprucing up like the FEATI campus at carriedo

@Lili: still in the construction stage. but with the phase they're constructing those stations, as richard mentioned, probably before the year ends or even earlier we'll be cruising pasig river:). and yeah, though not really that safe, quite a number of kids regularly go swimming in there. grown-ups engage more on fishing. they say they can catch 'kandulis'.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/makati/17744713.jpg

@askal82:i was thinking the same thing. so i think the lake maybe is drying up. as it usually is during summer like la mesa.

@richard24: the facade is really nice too. yeah, i think they designed those stations to make them blend with their surroundings. great idea.

brown kandules. he he urrghh

are they gonna be a brand new ferries?

i read an article (i think here or at the sea transport thread) that the ferries would be big and airconditioned... capacity 0f 150... i think they're made in australia?

@Lili: still in the construction stage. but with the phase they're constructing those stations, as richard mentioned, probably before the year ends or even earlier we'll be cruising pasig river:). and yeah, though not really that safe, quite a number of kids regularly go swimming in there. grown-ups engage more on fishing. they say they can catch 'kandulis'.

brown kandules. he he urrghh

That'll be nice to have the ferry stations operational soon. Thanks for the pictures and the info. :)

Kandules are smaller white dalags, di ba? I wonder if they are edible if coming from the Pasig. I know that dalags thrive in muddy water but Pasig might have more toxins in there. It shows though that the water quality has improved to support life in it. It sure will be nice if more fish will thrive in there, but I hope no more 'buwayas' of yore.

whenever we stroll and make tambay by the river we try to count the fishes... (para kaming mga tanga) and mas tanga pa coz we even count the basura... pansunog ng oras... :lol: napapansin namin may mga oras na madumi ung river... minsan naman sobrang linis. weird.

@richard24: pansin ko nga rin, minsan ang linis minsan din daming naglutangang basura....hmmmm....i cant believe, may schedule din pala yang mga squatters dyan sa pagtapon nag kanilang basura sa pasig...hehehe weird nga!

^^ diba meron nagtatapon ng patay sa pasig? I wonder how these people think of eating those fishes if they are mixed with human waste

may nagtapon ng patay sa pasig or namatay yung tao sa pasig dahil sa sobrang pollution...hehehe

whenever we stroll and make tambay by the river we try to count the fishes... (para kaming mga tanga) and mas tanga pa coz we even count the basura... pansunog ng oras... :lol: napapansin namin may mga oras na madumi ung river... minsan naman sobrang linis. weird.

aba okay ah, may schedule pa. Anong oras at araw ang garbage collection sa Pasig river? :lol:

may nagtapon ng patay sa pasig or namatay yung tao sa pasig dahil sa sobrang pollution...hehehe
namatay yun sa pasig river.

^^Who wouldn't die if you're soaked in Pasig River for a prolonged period of time? Just imagine all the tiny, demonic microbes, bacteria, viruses and everything else. Thinking of soaking even my hand in the Pasig makes me squirm!

^^Who wouldn't die if you're soaked in Pasig River for a prolonged period of time? Just imagine all the tiny, demonic microbes, bacteria, viruses and everything else. Thinking of soaking even my hand in the Pasig makes me squirm!

if i was paid 1 million... i'd be glad to soak myself in the pasig... :lol:

todo alcohol nalang after... :colgate:

i see a lot of people soak in the pasig... even kids,.

ung mga patay sa pasig eh mga nalunod un,... hindi naman namatay sa pollution..

Kaibigan ko dati nasa Ateneo Rowing Team. Practice nila minsan sa Pasig River. Ayun, nahulog isang beses at nakalunok ng tubig. Nagkasakit kaagad!

I remembered a movie, Yamashita ata yun eh, yung nasa Pasig, hahaha, la lang...

May nabasa akong libro about the Pasig River, and they gathered all the plans and proposed buildings and terminal around it, it's about beautifying the dead Pasig, it'san old book, pero it says that the Pasig will be restored completely at 2015... something like that.

Your great Janusngo, simple joke but very effective, you really make me laugh, yan ang Pinoy. This is a good message to those who neglect the importance of Pasig River, it's sad to say, only now the importance was revive, let's support the restoration of Pasig River.

Any developments?

Kita ko under construction pa rin ang mga ferry stations....i dont know their completion target....

Pasig River boats back this year
By Elaine Ruzul S. Ramos
Manila Standard Today (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=police02_may26_2006)


The Pasig River Ferry Service is expected to kick off by yearend.

Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission executive director Bingle H.B. Gutierrez said yesterday the soft opening last February was deferred but a 70 percent completion of the project has been programmed.

She cited delays in the construction of stations.

The operator is awaiting delivery of around six ferry boats with larger seating capacity than the original 18 vessels proposed.

“We have given the operator the leeway to choose the size of the boats to ensure economic viability,” said Chito Macapagal, Unilever Phils. general manager for corporate development, representing the private sector in the Pasig River rehabilitation project.

Using boats that can seat 50, at least 18 boats are required to effectively service the route, he explained. But since the operator chose boats with seating capacity of 150, only about six boats are needed to run the service.

“If there is good traffic, they can always bring in additional boats. That would be up to the operator since that would be their cost,” Macapagal added.

A total of four contracts were bidded out by the commission. Operation of the ferry service and the use of the stations were awarded to Nautical Transport Services Corp. The construction of the stations was awarded to various contractors.

The commission is bankrolling the setting up of the stations, using a portion of the loan facility extended by the Asian Development Bank for the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. The investment cost in building the stations will be recovered via the station fees.

The Guadalupe Station at Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City, is substantially completed. In various stages of construction are stops at the Plaza Mexico in Intramuros, Manila; Escolta, Manila; Polytechnic University of the Philippines campus in Manila; Sta. Ana, Manila; Lambingan, Sta. Ana, Manila; and Hulo, Mandaluyong City.

Transportation Undersecretary and Pasig River Ferry Service Project team chairman Agustin Bengzon says the stations will have airconditioned waiting areas, viewing decks, hygienic comfort rooms, vendo machines, phone booth, lifts and access ways for persons with disabilities.

The stations will have illuminated signages, wider eaves and covered walkways for protection from sunlight and rain, fully airconditioned facilities, windows for natural ventilation in case of power failure and designed for future expansion.

For the security of passengers, the stations will have close-circuit cameras, video monitors and metal detectors. In addition to the 24-hour security service, K-9 units will also be deployed.

The commission will also bid out the electronic ticketing system to an independent group.

“This would save the operator from shelling out additional costs for the e-ticketing system as well as give government stock of the ferry system’s viability in terms of revenues and ridership,” Macapagal said.

The system allows the monitoring of the number of passengers boarding and leaving the ferry at any given time. The ticketing computers in the ferry stations are linked with each other and with the operations center in real time. It will have a turnstile, ticketing booth, ticket reader, a public display of boat schedules (arrival and departure) and the number of seats available in the incoming boats.

Gutierrez said the terms of reference and other prebidding documentation are being finalized in time for the launch.

The Pasig River Ferry Service Project aims to provide commuters with a reliable, safe and efficient transport system while complementing Metro Manila’s predominantly land-based transport system. It is also an alternative corridor that will help decongest the landlocked road network system of Metro Manila.

I read online that the Nile River and Manila has the same origin (please note the word “Nile” and “nila”. Accordingly, nilad is a Sanskrit word for an indigo colored plant that were prominent in Pasig River then and may have been named by the ancestors of either Rajah Lakandula, Matanda or Soliman. The Muslim leaders must have taken the namecolor from Arab traders that prowl the East Indies who may have called the thriving indigocolored plant in the Nile River as nile also. I am not so sure about the veracity of this. Anyway just a trivia.

(Editor’s note: The slow death of Pasig River and creeks was known to local officials over the years as noted by the author.)

YEARS ago, about the first few years of martial law, our neighborhood took pride in our young and ablebodied garbage collector. He pushed his wooden cart without dropping a can or plastic wrapper.

Efficient garbage collector

He charged R10 for a day’s work. I thought R30 per week was shortchanging him. I paid R45 that made him exceedingly happy.

As he made the rounds I noticed how fast he was in emptying his cart. One rainy morning I paid him R45 and innocently asked a question: Where do you burn so many cartloads of garbage daily?

Dumping into creeks

He said burning it was dangerous and could lead to a conflagration and pollute the air. He told me his secret: He emptied his cart at the back of his shack near a creek, and at night he used a big rake to push the mound and dump it without effort into the estero some two meters from his hut.

With barangay’s consent

I asked if the whole neighborhood knew his "style" of dumping garbage. He laughed and shook his head. I asked the barangay officials if polluting the water was good for the environment.

They told me there’s no problem, because at low tide and after a heavy rain the waste and garbage would "join" Pasig and Manila Bay. The answers, like the garbage collector’s happy solution, were made matter-of-factly in all seriousness and sincerity.

Filthiest in the world

Metro Manila’s rivers, creeks, and waterways are about the dirtiest in the world. Officials of cities and towns bordering the Pasig and its tributaries announced this week that with the onset of the rainy season there’s a need for a joint effort to clean all kinds of waterways and prevent widespread flooding.

Death from pollution

According to analysts if a foreign visitor slips on a banana peel on Ayala Bridge and falls into the river, the "clear and present danger" is not death by drowning. The black water, if ingested, has no known antidote.

Great rivers like the Danube, Rhone, Seine, and Thames are glorified in songs and 20th century movies. Chicago has a network of rivers, but near downtown the water is colored light blue or light green against Pasig’s carbon-paper black from its source upstream — Laguna de Bay — to its mouth on Manila Bay.

Plans to use Pasig

There were plans to use the Pasig to transport passengers with several stops near Guadalupe, Ayala, Quezon, MacArthur, and Jones. This river route is not obstructed by monstrous traffic jams and travel time is cut by more than 50 percent. There’s no sight yet of the river taxis. According to most comments, the filth or stench of the river probably proved unattractive to financiers and the mainstream passengers.

Pasig in 1877

(Let’s peep at events in 1877. Before Christmas, Rizal arrived in his hometown by steamer which he took at Binondo. His mother did not recognize him at first due to her failing eyesight. His sisters teased him about his infatuation with Segunda Katigbak. On December 22 (Saturday), he learned that the steamer carrying Segunda and her family would not anchor at Calamba because of strong winds. Instead it would stop in Biñan.)

For years before 1877, boat ride from Binondo to many towns in Laguna was a popular means of transport under the Spanish colonial rule.

Nick Joaquin’s river

According to Nick Joaquin, his barkada in the 1930s joined him in bathing and fishing near Guadalupe when the Pasig was clean and rich with fish.

What’s the difference between 1877 and 2007? In 130 years since 1877 the city, and town officials watched the Pasig die a slow death until all forms of life ceased to exist in the river.

People by the tens of thousands living on riverbanks and on stilts in most creeks dump their waste like the "industrious" garbage collector in our neighborhood whom I paid R45 weekly.

Missing waterways

Let’s not forget the hundreds of natural waterways that were "reclaimed" by unscrupulous residents in the last 61 years with the help of the equally unscrupulous employees of various local governments, especially in Manila, Pasay, Caloocan, Quezon City and Makati.

A new apartment I once leased in Quezon City was built on a reclaimed estero. Widespread flooding yearly is an inevitable happening. (Comments are welcome at rvp@fastmail.ph.inter.net)

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/05/25/OPED2006052564966.html

^ its a shame sobrang napabayaan ang pasig. and disgusting too. Pero ang mga tao, wala lang. Pano tayo makakattract ng tourists niyan

Water highway to reduce travel time for commuters

First posted 11:50pm (Mla time) May 25, 2006
By Margaux C. Ortiz
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on Page A24 of the May 26, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THOUSANDS of commuters in five cities are expected to benefit from the opening of Metro Manila’s water highway at the end of the year.

Government agencies behind the Pasig River Ferry Service project announced yesterday they were speeding up the construction of 10 ferry stations along the Pasig.

Seven of the stations—Plaza Mexico in Intramuros, Escolta, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Sta. Ana and Lambingan Bridge, all in Manila; Hulo in Mandaluyong City; and Guadalupe in Makati City—would be completed before the end of the year, according to Transportation Undersecretary Agustin Bengzon.

“Passenger stations, strategically located along the river, will have modern designs that reflect their historical importance,” said Bengzon, chair of the ferry project team, during a press conference yesterday.

He said the stations would have air-conditioned waiting areas, viewing decks, comfort rooms, vending machines, phone booths, and lifts and access ways
for the physically impaired.

Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) Executive Director Bingle Gutierrez said the commission financed the construction of the stations, using a portion of a US$75-million loan from the Asian Development Bank.

Gutierrez said P140 to P150 million was spent for the construction of ferry stations.

He said that three other ferry station —at Quezon Bridge in Manila; San Joaquin in Pasig City; and Valenzuela in Makati City—would be completed after the opening of the first seven terminals.

The PRRC official added that they were trying to determine the navigability of the Marikina River for proposed additional stations in Sta. Elena, Riverbanks, Marcos Bridge and Napindan, all in Marikina City.

Commander Ronilo Bacolod, project technical working group chair, said private concessionaire Nautical Transport Service Inc. would initially build four boats.

The air-conditioned fiberglass boats could seat a maximum of 150 passengers.

“We are considering a fee of P2.25 per kilometer,” Bacolod said, adding the fare would be competitive with train and land-based vehicle costs.

Bacolod added that a convenient ticketing scheme, similar to that used by the rail systems, would be installed in the stations.

DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza explained that 28,000 of Metro Manila’s 2.4 million commuters are expected to ride the ferry boats daily.

“With the ferry boat service, commuters could avoid traffic jams and shorten their travel time,” Mendoza said.

Project officials said the ferry boats were expected to traverse the entire route—which takes at least an hour using other public transport—for an average of 30 minutes.


Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://news.inq7.net/metro/index.php?index=1&story_id=77006

bAKA masira yung motor ng barko sa Pasig

Is the filth that filthy? I hope this project would become successful...

yes the filth is that filthy. Imagine an almost stagnant river and creek filled with trash and used as the septic tank of thousands of people. Where the coliform count is beyond the realm of acceptable and normal . But fear not we're not hopeless yet. Singapore's river i've read somewhere used to be as filthy or not filthier, but look at it now.
I don't say this to be disparaging so don't hate. I only want to raise the level of expectations of local pinoys to their environment and surroundings. poor or rich.

yes, the river is very filthy... but clean enough to have people swimming on it.. :) and dont get sick.. :)

The toxic waste and coliform and lord knows what else infested water is enough to make anyone sick. They may not see it overnight if they get away from ecoli but over time it will manifests itself in skin diseases . That's really irresponsible for anyone to claim pasig river is safe to swim in .

Now this is something I look forward to........

Pasig River ferry system to go hi-tech

"A modern ferry terminal in an old setting" -- this is how operators of the Pasig River Ferry described the country’s latest water transport corridor.

Central to its hi-tech operation is the electronic ticketing system, Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission executive director Bingle B. Gutierrez said in a recent interview. This is capable of monitoring the number of passengers boarding and leaving the ferry at any given point in time, more intelligent than the existing system installed in other transport terminal.

According to its design, ticketing computers in the 11 ferry stations will be linked and all related activities can be monitored in real time in the operation center. Also, waiting passengers can see for themselves the boat schedules (arrival and departure), including the number of seats available in the incoming boat.

Chito Macapagal, Unilever’s general manager for corporate development and private sector representative in the commission, said the group is even considering adding a contactless payment mode through the use of cellular phones.

In other countries such as in Singapore, their e-ticketing system in train terminals can read radio tags, such that the reader can still recognize a ticket even if its stored inside the passenger’s wallet or bag.

Barring delays, the Pasig River Ferry Services is set to start operation by the fourth quarter of this year.

Ms. Gutierrez said the construction for two stations in Guadalupe in Makati City and Valenzuela are already completed.

Other stations are in various stages of construction, all expected to be done by yearend.

These are the Plaza Mexico station in Intramuros, Manila; Escolta station in Manila; PUP station at the PUP Campus in Manila; Sta Ana station in Sta. Ana Manila: Lambingan station in Sta. Ana, Manila; and Hulo station in Hulo, Mandaluyong City.

Upon opening, the ferry service is set to cater to the commuters coming from coastal municipalities along Manila Bay to Laguna de Bay.

"We expect this to attract the same volume of commuters as the MRT [metro rail transit]. MRT is designed for a 250,000 passengers a day volume. But now volume of riders is about 430,000," Transportation and Communications Sec. Leandro R. Mendoza said.

Pasig ferries will feature amenities such as air-conditioned waiting areas, viewing decks, comfort rooms, vendo machines, phone booths and lifts and access ways for persons with disabilities.

On the fare, Mr. Mendoza said: "We are looking at P2.25 per kilometer rate. But this can change, and instead adopt a fixed long-route, short-route scheme."

Aside from passengers, Mr. Macapagal, said project stake-holders are also planning to extend the service to companies.

"This will mean a lot of savings for companies as most their logistics now are land-based. For one, using the ferry service you can cut travel time from Tanay in Rizal to Makati City to 30 minutes from the present two hours," he said.

The Pasig River Ferry Services is a joint project of the commission, the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Funding of about P150 million was sourced from a $75-million loan package from the Asian Development Bank. The investment cost in building the stations will be recovered via the station fees. -- Maricel E. Estavillo

^^ That is so cool! The other advantage of using up the river for ferry service is that it may provide additional funds to beautify and clean the river itself as well.

Wow, it's a grand transportation project pala. Akala ko some chipipay ferry boat service with waiting sheds as terminals yung ginagawa nila. I was wrong!

Wow, it's a grand transportation project pala. Akala ko some chipipay ferry boat service with waiting sheds as terminals yung ginagawa nila. I was wrong!

nong elementary pa ako nakasakay na ako dyan sa bangka dyan sa pasig river pag tumatawid kami papuntang guadalupe kasi matraffic papunta edsa kaya dito kami dati dumadaan..reminiscing :D Anak ng Pasig...siguro si Tee yong nakita ko dati na bata doon na naliligo :D

hindi na xa dadaan ng marikina? akala ko ba hanggang riverbanks den... hmpf... hindi ko rin pala magagamit. :)

Ano pang hinihintay niyo? Biyahe na! This is the only way to revive Pasig. Please patronise this service. Drop your Pajero and use the ferry! Definitely beats Chao Phraya service in Bangkok. Even Singapore River hasn't got one!

^^Meron yata, Yung pangit na boat na may maraming gulong..

@ncbmandy: Haha, buti pa kayo may memories. Ako nakikita ko lang ang Pasig pag tumatawid sa mga tulay..

@richard24: I think it's part of some other phase. Hopefully, it'll materialize.

sana lahat ng gilid ng pasig river will be developed as parks and promenades with breathtaking landscape....ano kaya kung may pa-contest ng landscaping dyan sa gilid ng pasig river tapos open sa professionals and amateurs...diba parang ini exhibit na rin para sa mga touristas and visitors....mayron nabang nangyaring ganyan sa buong mundo so far?.....hehehe am dreaming!!!

^^ That's just a great idea @junex. Just like Riverside Park here in Manhattan and the Promenade in Brooklyn, NY. :) When I get the time, I will take pictures and post them.

Or a Pasig River cruise! Almost every major tourism city on Earth with a main river running inside the city has a River Cruise. Paris' Seine has, so as London's Thames, Bangkok's Chao Phraya. River Cruises are popular to tourists as long as the sights are great!

Or a Pasig River cruise! Almost every major tourism city on Earth with a main river running inside the city has a River Cruise. Paris' Seine has, so as London's Thames, Bangkok's Chao Phraya. River Cruises are popular to tourists as long as the sights are great!

not just the sights..it should smells good too

not just the sights..it should smells good too

Yeah right....but i think if the riverside developed, siguro mas madali nang mapansin ang mga areas na madumi which am sure di na titigilan ng mga concerned people....

Attention pala sa mga environmentalist and authorities dito kung sakaling mayron....lagi kong napapansin dyan sa mababaw na bahagi sa likod ng POST OFFICE LAWTON na tinataponan ng basura...i think pinapa-anod pag high tide..di ko alam kung galing sa Post office yang mga basura na yan na napaka irresponsable paraan ng pagtapon!! :bash:

Now this is something I look forward to........

Pasig River ferry system to go hi-tech

"A modern ferry terminal in an old setting" -- this is how operators of the Pasig River Ferry described the country’s latest water transport corridor.

Central to its hi-tech operation is the electronic ticketing system, Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission executive director Bingle B. Gutierrez said in a recent interview. This is capable of monitoring the number of passengers boarding and leaving the ferry at any given point in time, more intelligent than the existing system installed in other transport terminal.

According to its design, ticketing computers in the 11 ferry stations will be linked and all related activities can be monitored in real time in the operation center. Also, waiting passengers can see for themselves the boat schedules (arrival and departure), including the number of seats available in the incoming boat.

Chito Macapagal, Unilever’s general manager for corporate development and private sector representative in the commission, said the group is even considering adding a contactless payment mode through the use of cellular phones.

In other countries such as in Singapore, their e-ticketing system in train terminals can read radio tags, such that the reader can still recognize a ticket even if its stored inside the passenger’s wallet or bag.

Barring delays, the Pasig River Ferry Services is set to start operation by the fourth quarter of this year.

Ms. Gutierrez said the construction for two stations in Guadalupe in Makati City and Valenzuela are already completed.

Other stations are in various stages of construction, all expected to be done by yearend.

These are the Plaza Mexico station in Intramuros, Manila; Escolta station in Manila; PUP station at the PUP Campus in Manila; Sta Ana station in Sta. Ana Manila: Lambingan station in Sta. Ana, Manila; and Hulo station in Hulo, Mandaluyong City.

Upon opening, the ferry service is set to cater to the commuters coming from coastal municipalities along Manila Bay to Laguna de Bay.

"We expect this to attract the same volume of commuters as the MRT [metro rail transit]. MRT is designed for a 250,000 passengers a day volume. But now volume of riders is about 430,000," Transportation and Communications Sec. Leandro R. Mendoza said.

Pasig ferries will feature amenities such as air-conditioned waiting areas, viewing decks, comfort rooms, vendo machines, phone booths and lifts and access ways for persons with disabilities.

On the fare, Mr. Mendoza said: "We are looking at P2.25 per kilometer rate. But this can change, and instead adopt a fixed long-route, short-route scheme."

Aside from passengers, Mr. Macapagal, said project stake-holders are also planning to extend the service to companies.

"This will mean a lot of savings for companies as most their logistics now are land-based. For one, using the ferry service you can cut travel time from Tanay in Rizal to Makati City to 30 minutes from the present two hours," he said.

The Pasig River Ferry Services is a joint project of the commission, the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Funding of about P150 million was sourced from a $75-million loan package from the Asian Development Bank. The investment cost in building the stations will be recovered via the station fees. -- Maricel E. Estavillo

Yeah, I heard that they are expecting 20,000 passengers per day.

Reyes orders dredging of all major RP rivers



By PRISCILA R. ARIAS

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - Environment and Natural Resources Sec. Angelo T. Reyes yesterday ordered here the cleanup and desilting of the country’s major river systems, including the Pasig River, and the dismantling of illegal structures including fishpens along Laguna de Bay.


This developed as President Arroyo ordered the transfer of responsibility over river basins from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Reyes ordered the removal of all illegal fishpens in Laguna de Bay to rehabilitate the freshwater basin in part and to provide access to the bay by marginal fishermen who rely on the lake for their daily harvest of food for sustenance and livelihood.

The rehabilitation and cleanup of the Pasig River, Reyes said, is very symbolic as the river is the only waterway that traverses several towns and cities and is the site of historic battles and activities during and after the war.

He enjoined the private sector to take the lead in the cleanup of Pasig River and the local government units where the river traverses their localities.

Reyes also directed the Laguna Lake Development Authority to take the lead in identifying illegal structures in the lake and to initiate their dismantling.

Reyes came here yesterday to lead discussions at a regional forum entitled "Stakeholders’ Summit and Natural Resources Management Partners Forum for Protected Area Management in Region 10.’’

This event was sponsored by the DENR in cooperation with the Kasilak Development Foundation, Kasanib Foundation, and the Catholic Relief Services

http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN2006060465939.html

It will be great to develop the ferry as a system of transportation. In Brisbane, for instance, The Ferry is a popular form of public transpo. There's no traffic and it is a great alternative especially in viewing parts of the city that you dont usually see frequently, whether good or bad. They must develop and make popular routes from Laguna de Bay towns (not just Tanay but even Pililla and Jala-Jala in Rizal) to Manila Bay. Then people from these towns will no longer find it necessary to live in Metro Manila.

The railway system should be developed further. I do have issues with many bus companies. Trains and ferries can make public transportation not just popular but competitive, exciting and efficient.

Does anyone know what the ferries would look like? I heard that it's an Australian company that will be running the system. Could it look like the Brisbane ferries with air-condition? Cool!

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3552/zoom14jm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

how does this reflect on the filipino people that they allow this to happen to their rivers. kaya minsan ang neg image perpetuates

yay. i passed by that stretch of JP Rizal st., near the river, and it stinked last sunday. people are covering their faces. unknown to them, the smell might also stick to their hair and clothes. parang amoy kangkungan ang amoy. masangsang!

reminds me of my shots about a month ago:
this time on the other side
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p57d8689f082f147253abb8fe30b30428/eee497b8.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p18b0119837ad05fd9ec880ebf7bf51ca/eee49747.jpg

The water is colored black
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p7657e65bc47c7294d550d852a600a094/eee49786.jpg

sorry guys for not showing the good side of Pasig River here as the thread's name indicates.


and one at the same side
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/pfbd84ceab3cc5c3d9f95c91ab3a746d3/eee4995f.jpg

Golly gee. It's those wastes from the industrial plants. Better close them or fine them to high heavens. These are the perennial polluters of the Pasig River. They only set up temporary waste water treatment but in reality do not run them.

Manila Bay, Pasig River cleanup ordered
By Aurea Calica
The Philippine Star 06/08/2006

President Arroyo challenged Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes yesterday to take the lead in cleaning up the murky waters of Manila Bay and Pasig River so they could become a sustainable source of food and livelihood.

The President posed this new challenge to Reyes, a former defense chief and Armed Forces chief who successfully curbed kidnapping incidents in the country.

Mrs. Arroyo said the foreign chambers were impressed with Reyes for reducing kidnapping cases to an all-time low while he was still interior secretary.

"And if you could bring kidnapping at an all-time low, almost zero, I think you’re the one who will be able to rehabilitate the Pasig River and Manila Bay," the President told Reyes during the National Forum of Sustainable Development Strategy of Coastal Marine Resources.

The President said she wanted the forum held in a hotel fronting Manila Bay to "physically face the problem."

"Let’s do it in front of the problem. Let’s physically face the problem. Let’s do it facing Manila Bay," she said.

"Once upon a time when we were very young, Manila Bay gave us the biggest fish. Now, Manila Bay gives us a tiny fraction of the entire marine production of our country," Mrs. Arroyo said.

The President signed an executive order adapting Integrated Coastal Management as a national strategy for the sustainable development of the country’s coastal and marine habitats and resources.

"I’m further directing Secretary Reyes to be the lead, to formulate jointly with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the local governments involved, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Tourism (DoT) and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) a National Integrated Coastal Management Plan in accordance with the agreements that we may forge in this forum and in other consultations with various sectors," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"We must act together and act now. And on this note, I open this very important forum on sustainable development strategy for Manila Bay," she added.

The President said the Manila Bay Environmental Management project is a good test case to demonstrate that the country’s most important source of fish can meet the needs of all sectors relying on it for food, livelihood, commerce and transportation while protecting if from further degradation.

Mrs. Arroyo said part of her medium-term development plan is to manage natural resources and protect the environment to improve Filipinos’ quality of life and that of future generations.

The President also said her government would also ensure clean water by implementing the Solid Waste Management Act of 2001 and the Clean Water Act of 2004, which were both enacted into law during her administration.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200606080407.htm

^^To dream the impossible dream, to climb the unclimbable mountain, that is our quest to follow the stars! No matter how hopeless, no matter how far! Hay nako sana lang...

Sayang talaga manila bay. Kahit anong ganda ng mga restaurants at bars doon kapag mabaho amoy at panay basura makikita mo eh wala ring silbe pagpapaganda lalo na kung gagamiten itong pang attract ng mga dayuhang turista.

tama ka dyan, sino kaya gaganahan kumain kung MaBaHo ang hangin ng malalanghap mo. Bakit yung bay Seattle, Boston at sa SF ay amoy dagat lang at hindi masangsang ang amoy, di gaya ng manila bay na masakit sa ilong

It would take a lot of financial help and public effort to bring back the old Pasig river life just like what it used to be.

http://www.spanamwar.com/pasig.jpg

When I was a kid, we used to walk from our house in N. Domingo to San Juan bridge going to Sta. Mesa with my brothers and played along the big water pipe that go across Pasig river. The water is still color blue although Baguio oil company is one of the culprit there that polluted the water, it was still fine.
But in the 70's, you can get some grease along the banks for use in firing your wooden stove. :D

http://www.asap21.org/REI/ngopic1d.jpg

http://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20050610/whip0610/scavenge.jpg

(Editor’s note: The campaign to clean rivers and waterways needs to be relentless as noted by the author.)

By Romeo V. Pefianco

IN the last 40 years government and civic organizations made several attempts to clean, dredge and bring life back to the Pasig River.


Bigger admission ticket

One such big drive was increasing admission tickets to movie houses in Metro Manila. To this date people/movie viewers who paid the INCREMENT don’t even know how much was collected over the years. The collection amounted to countless millions, but the river has remained filthier than ever.

Another announcement to clean Pasig River

This week the government announced, again, "the rehabilitation and cleanup" of this river from its source in Laguna de Bay through Rizal towns and well-known cities with a squatter population by the tens of thousands habitually dumping their waste, garbage and septic tanks into the Pasig. Factory waste alone has polluted a longer stretch of the famous waterway.

Forgetting sanitation rule

Cities like Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong, and Manila have rules on hygiene and sanitation violated by factories and the "informal dwellers" on river banks and esteros for so long even town and city officials bend their will in favor of squatters who help candidates promote their "colonies."

Squatters as lessors

In Manila, creeks are clogged with hovels and shanties without septic tanks. Analysts refer to this way of living as a case of "direct seeding."

Near Malacañang in Quiapo squatters, like landowners, build dwellings without permits rising three to five stories high, which they lease to the homeless from their province. The real landowners need a folder of documents to be approved.

Habit that stays

There’s no such method as river desilting and cleanup without first rounding up the tens of thousands of informal dwellers who build permanent homes up to the edge of the river. The estero dwellers clog the natural waterways and contribute to widespread flooding in Metro Manila.

Some two or three years ago I saw two barges waiting to load silt at San Juan River. But upstream and downstream residents enjoyed dumping more waste into the river within sight of laborers and technicians trying their best to clean the river.

Campaign failing

Without a restored and clean river, esteros and other waterways near Sta. Ana, Quiapo and other districts "Buhayin ang Maynila" will NOT succeed.

Promising and ordering the cleanup of the Pasig has been viewed with indifference in the last 40 years. People who read or hear about the new pledge to bring back life to Pasig shrug their shoulders in disbelief.

Success of Mayor Lacson

Right after Mayor Arsenio H. Lacson occupied City Hall in January 1952, he announced to drive squatters away from Manila, especially those living on riverbanks, esteros, Intramuros, etc.

Lacson was both ruthless and relentless. For example, to rid the "Casbah" on Juan Luna St. (Binondo) of squatters, criminals, and their filth he ordered 10 firetrucks to flush them out like a flock of bats. In less than one day the "Casbah" ceased to be a den for criminal elements.

Lopsided elections

The mayor scolded them and announced he had no need of the captive squatter votes. The Pasig and creeks within the boundary of Manila eventually became squatter free.

Playing ball with the homeless was not Lacson’s idea of charity and cleanliness for his city. He won three elections lopsidedly and faced a fourth when he died of a heart attack.

Filthy sidewalks

Cities in Metro Manila today have dwellers and dumpsites on sidewalks. The big mystery is: Where do they hide or throw human waste? This can also create a metrowide epidemic.

For as long as informal dwellers are "friendly" to politicians there’s no fear of relocating them or telling them to stop polluting the air and waterways. They’re aware and proud of their usefulness again on election day in May 2007. (Comments are welcome at rvp@fastmail.ph.inter.net)

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/06/06/OPED2006060666064.html

When looking at old postcards from the American era of our history, you can get some great ideas for rehabilitating the Pasig in regard to just navigational reconstructions alone. The tall-masted ships anchored right up alongside Fort Santiago and the native cascos made for a unique Manila tableau. Too bad the water's now too filthy and smelly to even consider the viability of reconstructing these watercraft for tours along the river today.


http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/pasigPC.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/PCPasigandbridgeSpain.jpg

Any recent pice of the u/c ferry station constructions???

It must've taken shape already. Opening is on December this year na kasi, right?

That is so sad.
Pasig could have been like the gondola in Venice?

It seems like the novelty of Pasig Ferry lost its lustre. Any news about this multimillion project?

sorry double posting.

Shredded ode to the Pasig

By Lito Zulueta
Last updated 01:41am (Mla time) 06/26/2006

Published on page C1 of the June 26, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

AN EXHIBIT AT THE AYALA Museum ostensibly to raise awareness on the need to revitalize the Pasig River opens today with a caveat: the book meant to complement the show and containing architectural visions to revive the river has been ordered shredded by the publisher.

The reason: the book focuses more on the architectural designs than on the artworks interpreting the Pasig. Specifically the book fails to provide more space to the works of an artist close to the publisher, the Netanya Jimenez Foundation Inc., according to artist-critic Rod. Paras Perez, who edited the book.

The exhibit, “Ode to the River Pasig,” is organized by the Ayala Museum and the Jimenez Foundation, which claims to work closely with the Daughters of Charity at the Hospico de San Jose. “The foundation is active in environmental conservation and is a supporter of projects in literature, music, arts and athletics,” an Ayala Museum press announcement said.

The exhibit assembles 56 artworks by 30 Filipino artists from the museum as well as several private collections.

It was Paras-Perez who suggested that architects be included in the exhibit so that the project could yield designs to save and modernize the Pasig.

Paras-Perez said he purposely emphasized the blueprints by top Filipino architects so that the exhibit and book could be forward-looking and helpful in attempts to reinvent and renovate the Pasig.

Among the architects who have contributed designs are Alfredo Juan Aquilizan, Ed Calma, Sid Hildawa, Mark Mallari, Felino Palafox Jr., Cid Reyes and Joey Yupangco.

A catalogue has been rushed to accompany the exhibit after the book that Paras-Perez edited was recalled and shredded. The catalogue focuses on the artworks, giving generous space specifically to the works of Romulo Galicano.

The exhibit includes various interpretations from 20th-century Philippine art, from the prewar period to modernism in the 1950s, and to more recent works. The works include those by National Artists Fernando Amorsolo, Vicente Manansala, Napoleon Abueva, and Arturo Luz.

Other featured artists are Toribio Herrera, Alfredo Carmelo, Sofronio Y. Mendoza, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Romeo Ballada, Manuel Baldemor, Publio Briones, William Chua, Fil Delacruz, Carlos Florido, Valeria Cavestany, Horacio Gillego, Lilo Gutierrez, Edgardo Lantin, Tito Roy, Juvenal Sanso, Filemon Torres, Jose Valladolid, Lita Wells, Lor Calma, Julie Lluch, Ramon Orlina, Jose Tence Ruiz, Claude Tayag and Edwin Wilwayco.

Ego trip

Paras-Perez, himself a top visual artist who has also contributed his interpretation of the Pasig to the exhibit, said that as editor of the book, he had wanted to be “constructive” and “creative” in offering visions of renewing the Pasig.

(Some of the architectural designs are on this page.)

Paras-Perez explained that bringing back the old glory of the Pasig should not mean nostalgia or romanticism. “Definitely you cannot revive the Pasig through ego trips,” he said.

Paras-Perez further explained that a book should be judged by critics and readers, not left to the mercies of shredders and book-burners.

“What happened is nothing short of blasphemy,” Paras-Perez lamented.

Throughout history, book-burning has been the practice of authoritarian leaders to suppress dissent or alternative views.

In fact, in ancient China, book-burning was often resorted to by totalitarian leaders against scholarship. “Burning books and killing scholars,” according to historians, was the greatest crime of Quin Shi Huang in the second century before Christ.

In more contemporary history, book-burning and Adolf Hitler’s genocidal Nazi regime—as well as Stalin’s Gulag, Mao Tse Tung’s Cultural Revolution, and Pol Pot’s killing fields—have become synonymous.

The last century’s tragic experience with murderous authoritarian regimes was predicted by the German poet Heinrich Heine, who said in 1821: “Where they burn books, they will end in burning human beings.”

In such a context, it is at least ironic that a book offering liquid architectural visions on how to revive a great river has been shredded and burned.


“Ode to the Pasig River” opens tonight at 6:30 at the ground-floor gallery of the Ayala Museum. The exhibit runs up to Aug. 27. Call 7577117 to 21.


Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=6585

^^ That is so cool! The other advantage of using up the river for ferry service is that it may provide additional funds to beautify and clean the river itself as well.

tama ka possible, hindi pa huli ang labanan he.he.he. :cheers:

hi reply deleted :runaway:

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3552/zoom14jm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

hello po sa lahat ng mga Filipino sa kahit saang sulok ng mundo.
talagang ngang nangangailangan ang ating mahal na pasig river ng maynila ng tamang pag aruga at pagpamayamanin para sa ikagaganda at ikasasaya ng bawat isa sa atin pinoy ka man o tourista ng bansa.

kaya ang mga sagabal o nakakapollute ng pasig river na mga chemical panahon na maglagay na ng tamang diversion system para sa mga wastage chemicals o ano man yan polluted waste na yan.

simple diversion lang naman ng wastage materials from factories and solution...with the use pvc canals or whatever ang kailangan para mawala na ang problema malay natin yung waste materials na tinatapon ng factories sa pasig river e pwede pala gawing next product or another chemical/processing system...

basta may main depot to process wastage chemical related product from factories ...he.he.
diversion. i mean yung pipe o canal ng factories o drainage ng factories hindi open at e sealed na full stop.
so that the polluting chemical hindi na aagos sa pasig river.. then divert the canal of the wastage chemical factories -to major depot to general wastage storage- then process this wastage chemical again into something useful. we never know we might find something useful.
we never know what miracle it would bring...

expect the impossible to be possible... :bash:

THE Philippines suffers from having one of the poorest sewerage access in Asia, according to the latest study of the World Bank.

According to Ben Eijbergen, infrastructure sector coordinator of the World Bank in Manila, only four percent of the population in the city had access to sewerage in 2000 — the third lowest among 18 cities in Asia — while it is almost non-existent in places outside Metro Manila.

Only the cities of Jakarta in Indonesia and Vientiane in Laos had less than four percent of its population with access to sewerage, said Eijbergen, who made his presentation on “The Forgotten Sector: Sanitation and Sewerage in the Philippines” at a World Bank forum held this week.“Indiscriminate disposal of wastewater is one main reason for degradation of water quality,” added Eijbergen. His presentation formed part of the 2005 World Bank study, “Philippines: Meeting Infrastructure Challenges.”

The World Bank’s 2004 Philippines Environment Monitor had the same findings. According to the report, water pollution mainly came from domestic and industrial sources. It stated that more than 2.2 million MT of organic pollution are produced annually by the following sectors: domestic (48 percent); agricultural (37 percent); and industrial (15 percent). These pollution estimates, it added, did not include pollution from solid waste discharge and leachate.

The World Bank said the annual economic losses caused by water pollution are estimated at P67 billion or $1.3 billion.

From 1996 to 2000, approximately 31 percent of illnesses monitored were attributed to waterborne diseases. This, it said, is costing the country P3.3 billion per year in avoidable health costs.

Fish yields have declined by 30 to 50 percent due to sedimentation and silt pollution, resulting in a loss of P17 billion due to the degradation of the fisheries environment.

Water pollution has also cost the country a total of P47 billion for avoidable losses in tourism. An example of which is the coliform crisis in Boracay in 1997, where high levels of coliform were detected in the island’s waters. This resulted in the sharp decline of tourism arrivals in Boracay at that time.

The World Bank also reported that contaminated drinking water is one of the most prevalent causes of illness in the country. Among the known diseases caused by polluted water are gastroenteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis.

In 2003, the National Statistics Office said diarrheal diseases ranked second among the top causes of morbidity, with 615,692 cases recorded.

In 2004, the Asian Development Bank also reported that only 25 percent of the poor have access to full waterworks systems that have individual household connections. It said that 13 percent of poor households access piped systems with community faucets, while 31 percent are provided water from springs or protected wells.

The poor, in fact, spend a greater portion of their income per month on water than rich households do. They mainly rely on vended water as their main source, devoting nine percent of their household expenditure to buying water.

Eijbergen said the national government and local government units have not been prioritizing the issue of sanitation and sewerage. Moreover, the government has not been investing for the proper maintenance of these systems.

He explained that “only three percent of the country’s annual investment in water supply goes into sanitation and sewerage.” The country would need a total of P256.37 billion to put in place better sanitation systems by 2015.

Under the Clean Water Act of 2004, a water quality fund will be created to partly meet the requirements of keeping our waters pollution-free. It also established a National Sewerage and Septage Management Program that will allot funds for construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure for wastewater management.

See Eijbergen’s presentation here.
http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=1033#more-1033

tapos padame pa ng padame tao . naku mga pinoy magisep isep muna tayo.
tagalog na lang para hindi maintindihan ng mga spies.

That is so sad.
Pasig could have been like the gondola in Venice?

Yep.. Manila was actually compared to some European cities (Paris ata) for its potential and Pasig River was compared to Venice ata (or River Thames), stated by Daniel H. Burnham when he made a master plan of Manila..

Unfornutately, Manuel L. Quezon junked the idea since funds were needed for irrigation projects..

Our HoA (history of archi) prof last sem that Mayor Lito Atienza is now trying to adopt the plans..

Yep.. Manila was actually compared to some European cities (Paris ata) for its potential and Pasig River was compared to Venice ata (or River Thames), stated by Daniel H. Burnham when he made a master plan of Manila..

Unfornutately, Manuel L. Quezon junked the idea since funds were needed for irrigation projects..

Our HoA (history of archi) prof last sem that Mayor Lito Atienza is now trying to adopt the plans..

Good if this will realize. I hope this isn't just publicity for next year's elections. :)

Yep.. Manila was actually compared to some European cities (Paris ata) for its potential and Pasig River was compared to Venice ata (or River Thames), stated by Daniel H. Burnham when he made a master plan of Manila..

Unfornutately, Manuel L. Quezon junked the idea since funds were needed for irrigation projects..

Our HoA (history of archi) prof last sem that Mayor Lito Atienza is now trying to adopt the plans..

Really??? Atienza trying to adopt it??? Can you further clarify this?

not naman to adopt is in up to detail.. its not like naman na may press release..

Example na yung beautification projects na ginagawa niya ngayon..

5.6 M households without toilets in RP
By Sheila Crisostomo
The Philippine Star 07/06/2006

The Philippines may have advanced in technology and other things, but with regards to hygiene, Filipinos have a ways to go.

You wouldn’t think that Pinoys who own modern cell phones and i-pods would still use the banks of the Pasig River in Quiapo, Manila as a latrine. But they do.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed yesterday that around 5.6 million Filipino households still do not have their own toilet facilities, leaving them prone to health hazards and illnesses like diarrhea.

"Diarrhea has the most significant impact on health of poor sanitation and hygiene and has long been a major public health problem in the country," he told a press briefing during the Philippine Sanitation Summit 2006 yesterday.

Duque claimed that while the morbidity rate of diarrhea went down from 1,352 per 100,000 cases in 1995 to only 722 in 2004, diarrhea remains among the top leading causes of illness among Filipinos.

Duque, along with Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes and Misamis Oriental Rep. Augusto Baculio who authored the Clean Water Act, signed the "Manila Declaration on the Advancement of Sustainable Sanitation and Wastewater Management in the Philippines" during the summit.

The declaration seeks to effect related programs and work to achieve the goal of the Millennium Development Goal to "reduce by 50 percent by 2015 the number of people without sustainable access to drinking water and sanitation."

It calls for renewed efforts to improve access "to hygiene and sanitation services in order to achieve national MDG targets and to share the health and developmental benefits more widely across communities."

The declaration also calls for development and funding of the National Sewerage and Septage Management Program, and lasting investment programs for the sector; and acceleration of the implementation of the Clean Water Act of 2004, including the organization of Water Quality Management Areas and establishment of the Water Quality Management Fund, among others projects.

Baculio said the country’s commitment in improving sanitation and Waste Water management is articulated in the Philippine Sanitation Code, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Health Action Plan and in the Rio Declaration on Sustainable Development.

However, Baculio said their efforts to improve sanitation and waste water management are hindered by infrastructures that were put up before such laws took effect.

Under the Clean Water Act, in particular, establishments are required to have a sanitation facility that separates the urine from feces.

"That’s one of the biggest challenge now. How can the existing establishments comply. This really needs the commitment of various sectors," Baculio added.

Meanwhile, National Water Resources Board (NWRB) executive director Ramon Alikpala yesterday said that meeting the country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 might not be possible unless the government address sanitation and water concerns ahead of the deadline.

Alikpala, who was at yesterday’s sanitation summit explained that achieving the targets set under the MDGs are mostly dependent on the response of the government and non-government organizations to improve clean water and sanitation accessibility in the country.

"How can we address poverty and health issues when our water is not clean because majority, if not all, of the people have no access to proper sanitation?" Alikpala argued.

"We have to consider that to be able to have a sustainable supply of clean water we should not only make sure that we produce clean water, we must also consider that waste water is properly treated," he added.

Alikpala stressed that water is crucial in achieving the MDG target because illnesses or diseases are caused by the absence or lack of proper sanitation and unclean water.

He likewise cited the perception of people who would rather pay for clean water than waste water as a hindrance to addressing sanitation problems.

"People think that it is reasonable to pay for clean water, but unreasonable to pay for waste water," Alikpala said.

He said that investment to sanitation is two to three times higher than investment to clean water.

"Also, it’s not really so much about, for example, cleaning up the polluted Pasig River, but (about) preventing the people from dumping into the Pasig River," Alikpala added. "It’s the attitude of the people towards sanitation."

Earlier, the World Bank (WB) said that the Philippines’ poor sanitation and sewerage is alarming, owing to the underinvestment of the sector and ineffective implementation of existing laws that would supposedly address the sanitation and sewerage problem of the country.

Ben Eijbergen, Infrastructure Sector Coordinator of the WB Office in Manila, in his report titled The Forgotten Sector: Sanitation and Sewerage in the Philippines, said that Manila ranks third-worst among 18 selected Asian cities in terms of sewerage access since only about 4 percent of the population had access to sewerage in 2000 while access to sewerage network was almost non-existent outside Metro Manila.

Manila is preceded by Vientiane and Jakarta while Hong Kong and Osaka were recorded to have 100 percent sewerage access.

Meanwhile, other signatories to the Manila Declaration were the Departments of Public Works and Highways, Education, Health and Nutrition; National Economic and Development Authority; Local Water Utilities Administration; Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System; Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines; and NWRB.

Meanwhile, a World Bank study in 2005 said major efforts will be needed in the Philippines to achieve the MDG of increasing formal access to water supply to 90 percent by 2010.

For sanitation and solid waste, however, the same study noted that "matters are even worse."

It said that of the vast majority of households with septic tanks, only about 3 percent in mostly rural on-site treatment and disposal facilities were acceptable.

Moreover, the WB study said that solid waste collection in the country is ineffective, and that large quantities of such waste often accumulate and block drainage canals, exacerbating public health problems.

As a result, the WB study said, contaminated drinking water and waterborne diseases remain a prevalent public health concern, accounting to over 500,000 morbidity and 4,200 mortality cases in the country each year.

Eijbergen said that approximately 31 percent of illnesses monitored in 1996 to 2000 were attributed to waterborne sources, which translates to a P3.3-billion avoidable health cost per year.

Health centers all over the country record a total of 2,000 cases of diarrhea and 25 deaths caused by poor sanitation almost everyday.

Health Undersecretary Ethelyn Nieto previously said that diarrhea is the second cause of morbidity in the country, as intestinal parasitism and malnutrition similarly account for deaths among Filipinos.

Government information indicated that in rural areas, almost 40 percent of households do not have access to sanitation facilities while between 50 to 60 percent of households and establishments have "extremely low" sanitation coverage in over 10 primary cities nationwide.

Sewerage and wastewater management in cities are considered "even worse" because of the 115 cities, only nine have collection systems, each serving less than 10 percent of the city, the government data added. — With Katherine Adraneda

‘Plants can clean up Pasig’
By Helen Flores
The Philippine Star 07/14/2006

This water-treatment plant floats while it works, is maintenance-free and needs absolutely no fuel to keep it running. And it really is a "plant."

It’s the water lily and it gobbles up wastes in polluted rivers, says US-based Filipino-American scientist Franz Boncodin, a leading proponent of phytotechnology.

"Instead of using a system for water treatment, which costs millions of dollars, the country would only spend P250,000 in cultivating plants like water lilies using dried animal manure," he said.

Boncodin said this is just one application of phytotechnology, which uses science and engineering to study problems and provide solutions involving plants.

"Pasig River can be cleaned by using plants, nasa halaman ang solusyon sa polusyon (the solution to pollution is in plants)," he said.

"Plants are the kidneys of the world, they filter (out) pollution," he added.

Boncodin said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, of which he is a consultant, inaugurated the other day a pilot phytotechnology project beside the Department of Budget and Management office, which sits on the banks of the Pasig River. The DENR allotted P6 million to fund the project.

"This is only 300 to 400 meters long, and it will test the principle of using plants in reducing water pollution in Pasig River," he said.

Boncodin said it took him eight years to convince the government of the effectiveness of plants in filtering out water-borne wastes, and expressed satisfaction the government "is now beginning to realize that plants can reduce pollution."

Boncodin said the water lily is one of the plants that can be used to filter pollutants from the water.

"The thinner the water lily, the cleaner the water," he said.

Boncodin said Taiwan and Korea are using the same technology and boast of clean rivers even in urban centers.


http://philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200607140404.htm

I believe it should be a two-pronged attack. Water lilly and enforcement of laws. No amount of water lillies can clean up the Pasig River if the continuous dumping of pollutants are not stopped. Garbage is another matter.

How come they have negating findings? Before they said the water lilies clog the Pasig River and increase the planktons that kill the fauna in river. Now they say the lilies actually filter the pollutants in the river.

^I didn't get it. Planktons are food for the fish, right? So, it would be better for the animals in the river. And I think it is logical that plants such as water lilies could clean the Pasig river. It coud not only filter the pollutants in the water, it could also filter the air. But lochinvar is right. No matter how many plants are there in the river it will just be useless if people would still keep on throwing garbage.

Love the Gawad Kalinga makeover as well as the new Pasig River ferry terminal.....

click on: Pasig River (http://www.bworldonline.com/Weekender081806/main.php?id=focus1)

maglalagay sila ng ferry cruise diyan sa pasig eh nakakadiri diyan...sino naman ang gaganahang sumakay dun....stupid!

tama^^

^^Di naman siguro open ang ferries kaya di mo maamoy ang baho.

kahit na....nakakakadiri pa ring tignan!

^No, when we were in Intramuros last saturday, the view of the Pasig there was really great. I didn't smell anything and to think it was raining. Of course, there was some garbage, but not as bad as before.

^^ hear, hear!!! Anyway, anymore pics of the ferry stations from anyone???

By Ronnie Calumpita, Reporter

POOR sewage treatment and sewerage—resulting in bad sanitation—in Metro Manila, if not in the country, is costing the economy at least P67 billion a year, according to government authorities.

The inability to dispose, collect and treat human and industrial waste also sends thousands of Filipinos daily to hospitals, doctors’ offices and drugstores for diarrhea, dysentery and respiratory diseases.

Poor sanitation has polluted rivers, lakes, bays and esteros, principally Manila Bay, the Pasig River and Laguna Lake. Countless rivers in Luzon are considered biologically dead because of industrial and human pollution.

Swimmers, bathers and fishermen have complained of pain, discomfort and diseases after swimming or taking a dip in the Pasig River or in Manila Bay.

Pollution has seeped into tap water and public faucets, restaurants, hotels, cocktail lounges and other public places.

As a result, not only hotels and restaurants but most households have shifted to buying bottled drinking water.

In slum neighborhoods, residents continue to dispose of waste in plastic and paper bags in somebody else’s backyard.

Commuter train passengers have complained about being hit by feces thrown by residents living along railroad tracks.

The blight has turned off foreign and domestic tourists who have complained about eyesores, stench and dirty tap water. They get a bigger shock when they get out of Metro Manila and hit the countryside.

Bottled water

The crisis has produced a booming industry: the distilled or bottled water business. Every middle-class family in Metro Manila supports the business. Water refilling stations abound in the region.

The sewerage system must have begun during the American colonial period, although the waterworks system started during the time of the Spanish governor-general, Luis Dasmariñas, in the later part of the 19th century.

But since Manila (and later Metro Manila) began by fits and starts, by accretion, no centralized planning seemed to have anticipated a modern, citywide sewerage system.

People are asking what Cabinet or government office is responsible for overseeing a modern sewerage system. Is it the Department of Environment and Natural Resources? The Department of Public Works and Highways? The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System?

Or shouldn’t local governments be responsible through zoning ordinances?

Is there a law calling for a modern sewerage system? The Clean Water Act should have taken care of that. But since its enactment in 2004, nothing much by way of improved sewerage has happened.

Why isn’t the Department of Tourism raising a howl against the problem, which is an eyesore for the tourism industry? The Department of Health should give a care because of the threat to public health and safety. What does the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority have to say?

What is the role of Congress? Does it give a hoot?

Let’s rewind to a time in the not-too-distant past when practically every schoolyard in Metropolitan Manila had a row of drinking fountains from which the grade-school children and their elders in high school could slake their thirst. Practically every household had access to potable water—from their taps.

Even earlier—during the days before World War II—the city of Manila was crisscrossed by numerous esteros—tributaries of the Pasig River that dissect the city—ready sources of freshwater food fish like the ayungin for the residents.

Nick Joaquin, National Artist for literature, in his book Manila, My Manila, recounts that the esteros not only were sources of food for the table but served as avenues of commerce. The cascos bearing most household needs for sale to the residents used the waterways as avenues for commerce.

Not anymore.

Not only are most of the esteros gone (some of them covered and cemented over to make way for the inward expansion of the population) what are left are so filled with garbage of all imaginable variety the stench permeates the atmosphere for blocks on end.

And drinking fountains and potable tap water in households? Forget it. One swig is a virtual invitation to all sorts of gastric diseases with all the viruses wreaking havoc on one’s digestive system.

This is perhaps being alarmist, but fears have been raised that with the quality of water from the faucets, the day may not be very far off when the simple hygienic expedient of brushing one’s teeth (and using tap water) may cause serious dental disorders.

It’s almost that line from Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner coming to visit the once Noble and Ever Loyal City: Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.

Downward spiral

How did this downward spiral happen?

Too many people, too many industrial factories and other commercial establishments all dumping their waste into the Pasig and its tributaries, which in turn carry this lethal cargo into Manila Bay.

To illustrate: Take a cruise along the Pasig from its source at Laguna de Bay to its delta past Manila’s Fort Santiago and the Del Pan Bridge. Count the number of factories and shanties of informal settlers—the current euphemism for squatters. Most of the factories have no facilities to treat the sewage they dump into the river. And the squatters? Forget it. Practically all of them do not have what pass for toilets, in the first place.

By the time you go past the Guadalupe Bridge in Makati, you shall have lost count. Worse, you shall be throwing up.

We’ve had countless campaigns to save the Pasig but most of them have been flashes in the pan.

And we’re not even talking of potable, drinking water yet.

Metro Manila’s only remaining watershed and the primary source of its drinking water—La Mesa Dam—has been shrinking from the onslaught of migration even the water it sends down to the antiquated Balara filtration plant in Quezon City is polluted.

Deep well

A good number of people have resorted to the deep-well method. Even that is not too reliable anymore. Decades of indiscriminate dumping of waste have allowed pollutants to seep down to the water table. So what appears to be crystal-clear water may in fact be harboring billions of those microscopic little buggers that spell disease.

But besides posing horrendous health problems, water pollution has an adverse impact on the economy. It costs the country P67 billion annually in economic losses.

Water-borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid and hepatitis A account for 31 percent of the total number of illnesses with an annual health cost of P3 billion. The fisheries production loses P17 billion; tourism chalks up P47 billion in losses every year.

These losses totaling P67 billion annually do not include those traceable to environmental damage in terms of compensation and claims of affected communities that have been displaced, and lost income and livelihood.

Wastewater generation based on the water demand shows that of the total of 7.2 million cubic meters (MCM) generated daily, 5.2 MCM a day comes from urbanized areas, of which 2.4 MCM a day is from Metro Manila alone.

The wastewater, including sewage, must be treated and meet the minimum standards of effluents before they can be discharged to bodies of water. Sadly, such treatment is hardly practiced.

In the domestic picture, only 7 percent of Metro Manila households have access to sewerage service, one of the reasons untreated domestic wastewater has continued to pollute the metropolis’ bodies of water.

World Bank study

Citing a study by the World Bank, DENR Undersecretary Francisco Bravo, also the acting director of the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau, said at least 93 percent of the domestic wastewater goes to Manila Bay through the Pasig River. “There is also a big possibility that ground water is also contaminated.”

Besides the Pasig River, the Navotas-Malabon-Tenejeros-Tullahan river system north of Manila also drains a huge volume of untreated wastewater also into the Manila Bay.

As a palliative solution, Bravo says sewage or toilet waste (feces and urine) should also be regularly collected and treated. “Water concessionaires should be the one to collect it.”

The process should really pose no problems to the residents of areas serviced by water concessionaires.

Regular desludging of septic tanks is one of the provisions contained in the concession contracts of the Manila Water Co. Inc. and the Maynilad Water Services Inc. with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.

A precursor to the concessions foresaw this need.

Presidential Decree 856, or the Sanitation Code of 1975, also requires local government units to provide adequate and efficient system for sewage collection, transport and disposal.

This law, whose implementing agencies are the Departments of Health and of Public Works and Highways, however, is not being enforced and monitored as septic tanks are seldom deslodged, a World Bank report said.

Republic Act 9275, or the Clean Water Act of 2004, also mandates that all households must be connected to a sewerage system or included in any sewerage treatment programs of the water concessionaires and water districts such as regular collection of sewage from septic tanks every five years.

Contract-bound

Water concessionaires are contract-bound to regularly collect sewage from households that have no sewerage since they are charging their customers environmental fees.

This rate is intended to help fund the development of free desludging of septic tanks and sludge disposal services by the water concessionaires.

Households in Metro Manila and several areas in Rizal and Cavite serviced by the two water concessionaires that have no sewerage are charged an added 10-percent environmental tax in their water bills.

In all of Asia, Manila is next only to Jakarta in terms of poor sewerage service, a World Bank study shows.

“Maybe Jakarta could surpass [Metro] Manila in providing sewerage services,” Jitendra Sha, World Bank senior environmental specialist for East Asia and the Pacific region, said in an interview during a workshop on beach ecowatch program on Boracay Island.

He noted that lack of sewerage to treat domestic wastewater pollutes not only bodies of water but ground water, which also serves as drinking water for many communities that have no access to water concessionaires and water districts outside Metro Manila.

Water samples from 129 wells nationwide show that 75 indicate a high level of coliform bacteria, or 58 percent, a World Bank study said.

Coliform is a type of bacteria that invades the intestinal tracts of humans and warm-blooded animals and also affects plants, soil, air and the aquatic environment.

Challenge

“This is a challenge for the people and for politicians to solve the sewerage problem. More money must be invested in the sewerage system because it [untreated wastewater] is costing everybody’s health and even the tourism industry,” Sha said.

The World Bank, in a recent Philippines Environment Monitor report, said the improvements in sewerage and sanitation services have experienced delays, causing the two water concessionaires not to meet their targets.

The Bank said Manila Water “did not meet its sanitation target when the company moved away from dumping sewage into the sea and instead set up sludge processing plants.”

The dumping of raw sewage in the waters of Zambales in the South China Sea was stopped after environmental groups in the province and nongovernment organizations, led by Timpuyog-Zambales as well as local officials, protested because of its adverse effects on the province’s rich marine resources.

La Rainn Abad Sarmiento, Timpuyog-Zambales president, said the dumping of raw sewage, part of Manila Water’s Manila Second Sewerage Project, began in November 2001 until March 2002.

Besides lack of available funding, Maynilad Water “had a difficulty in accelerating the desludging services, because these services can only be done during nonwork and nonrush hours and 40 percent of the West Zone comprises depressed areas with no septic tanks. Likewise, the public has poor sanitation awareness and is not keen in desludging its septic tanks.”

Why not build sewer networks then? Out of the question at the moment, because of one factor: the expenses involved.

(Concluded tomorrow: “Water supply and sewage control”)
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/sept/10/yehey/top_stories/20060910top1.html

Pasig Looks its best at night... well... thats it... lol

Most Metro rivers are grossly polluted
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/sept/10/yehey/top_stories/20060910top2.html
By Ronnie Calumpita, Reporter

Almost all of the rivers in Metro Manila are polluted. Among the five major rivers tested for the period 1996-2001, data of the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources show that San Juan River is the dirtiest with the highest average of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) at 32.5 mg/l.

San Juan River did not also meet the national standard for dissolved oxygen (DO), which varies from two to five mg/l based on beneficial water use and classification. The river has the lowest average DO content at less than two mg/l, failing to meet the criterion for Class C waters intended for fish production, boating and industrial water supply.

DO is the oxygen freely available in water, vital for fish and other aquatic life and for the prevention of odors. DO levels indicate the ability of the water body to support desirable aquatic life.

The Parañaque, Navotas-Malabon-Tenejeros-Tullahan and Pasig rivers also failed to meet the BOD standard. Only Marikina River passed the criteria, having the lowest BOD average of 8.1 mg/l.

However, these five major rivers in Metro Manila at one point during the sampling period showed a zero reading for DO—they were considered “biologically dead” during certain periods when no aquatic life can be sustained.

There’s been some good news since 2001, when the samplings reported above were last taken.

The Camanava flood-control project, which includes treating the river systems affecting Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas, has been completed and is working.

The best and latest news is from Marikina. The city’s executives (the Mayor is Mrs. Lourdes Fernando, who became mayor after her husband, Bayani Fernando, who is now the MMDA’s chairman) say the rehabilitation of the river is living proof of the Marikina people’s unceasing quest for excellence.

The Fernandos have led their community into creating the Marikina River Park, which is among the most pleasant places one can go to in Metro Manila. The river now allows fish to live in it, although the most thriving species is the tilapia, which end up killing most other species.

“Spurred by the death of natural resources resulting from the continuous growth in residential areas, Marikina took pains to rehabilitate and convert the 220-hectare Marikina River into a sports and recreational park,” says Cris M. Reyes, an aide of Mayor Fernando.

Last Wednesday, September 6, Marikina River became the site of an astonishing demonstration of how its water can be made potable with the use of the purifying and distillation process of the Smirnoff company (the British vodka manufacturers.)

The British ambassador and a famous Filipino actress were there to show the world that purified Marikina River water can be drunk without fear of getting sick.

The Smirnoff marketing executives said the process was tried on water from the Thames. And Londoners drank the purified result. Perhaps to make the Filipinos feel good, the water-purification company Arbourtech’s managing director, John Pudge, said the Thames is “far more polluted than the Marikina River.” This runs counter to a report from The Manila Times correspondent in London, Jenina Bas, who has written a special report about bringing the Thames back to life and how trout now thrive in the river.

In the Arbourtech system, producing 10,000 gallons of potable water from the Marikina River would cost P2 million. Other water-purification systems are available from American, other British as well as European suppliers. But Smirnoff claims to have bettered its competitors’ water purification methods.

Manila Bulletin
September 11, 2006
By ROS STA. CRUZ

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has approved a proposal by a group of Filipino-American investors to clean the 27-kilometer-long Pasig River, without cost to the national government, through pythotechnology or artificial or engineered marshland.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes ordered DENR Undersecretary Francisco Bravo to identify a one-kilometer stretch along the Pasig River bank that would be used to pilot the project after the plan was approved during a meeting with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) last Saturday afternoon.

Under the proposal by the group led by Dr. Franz B. Boncodin, artificial marshlands will be developed along both sides of the river bank from Manila to the Laguna Lake to collect, filter and purify domestic wastes into water clean enough for drinking before they are discharged into the river.

The plan was endorsed by PRRC Commissioner Bingle Gutierrez who was also instrumental for the ongoing construction of an artificial marshland to clean the waters of the 300-meterlong Estero Santibañez across Malacañang Palace in Manila.

The Boncodin group said it will source the fund from the project from international organizations, with the government providing an easement of 10 meters on both banks of the river for the construction of the marshland.

The approved plan is expected to save the Philippine government about P30 billion, or roughly $ 600 million, which was the estimated cost of the standard treatment plant (STP) process of cleaning waste discharge to the river.

"Once completed, this project will not only clean Pasig River, but will also convert the banks into a promenade park and bikelane from Manila all the way to Laguna," said Boncodin, who has mastered pythotechnology under professor Bill B.C. Wolverton of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The technology is now being used by NASA in its bio-home training center for US astronauts in Mississippi. It is also used throughout the United States, Australia, Bangladesh, South America, Europe, Taiwan, and now the Philippines, Boncodin said.

Boncodin said under the technology, domestic wastewater will be collected, cleaned, and filtered in the marshland or pond to be built on the banks of the river using water plants such as cat tails, duck weed, bulruss, and water hyacinth.

"Only after it has been cleaned and filtered will the wastewater be allowed to flow to the Pasig River," Boncodin said.

"Studies have shown that 70 percent of pollution at the river is caused by domestic wastewater," Boncodin said. "Ergo, by plugging this source of pollution, we would be making the water of Pasig River 70 percent cleaner."

Boncodin said that the effectiveness of marshlands in purifying and cleaning water of pollutants has been accepted worldwide and supported by NASA. Thus, marshlands have been given the name as "kidneys of the world."

He said in due time, the artificial marshland will convert into a natural one, thus removing the need to take care of the natural wastewater treatment plant.

"Engineered wetlands or artificial marshlands are better than the standard wastewater treatment plant," Boncodin said. "In the former, even sludges from septic wastes will be removed from the water as they are devoured by the plants’ roots.

"In the standard wastewater treatment plant process, the sludges remain in the water. The efficiency of the method can also be affected by any alteration in the volume of flow of water. The technique is also energy consuming because its uses electricity to divert water to be treated to a tank.

"In the pytho technology process, no electricity is consumed as water is made to flow naturally by gravity," Boncodin said.

The engineered wetland water filtration project will be implemented by the PRRC under Gutierrez. It will be replicated along the stretch of the 27-kilometer Pasig River if proven effective.

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/09/11/MAIN2006091174118.html

^^ I am so excited with this project and the prospect that the Pasig River would soon be cleaned of detritus and pollution through a natural "pytho technology" process. I wonder what is the time frame for this?

Two other good things about this are that the project will be without cost to the government and that the banks will be converted into a promenade park and bikelane from Manila all the way to Laguna.

I'm feeling optimistic. I hope that this will yield a significant positive result. They might as well look into clearing the banks of structures and establishments that contribute to the domestic and industrial wastes being dumped into the river. The approach should not be piecemeal but vast and longstanding.

I want to see Pasig river resurrected to its former glory in my lifetime.

Anybody have a complete set of pictures of bridges on pasig river. Lets see the difference.

1. Del Pan (Manila)
2. Jones (Manila)
3. McArthur (Manila)
4. Quezon (Manila)
5. Ayala (Manila)
7. Nagtahan (Manila)
8. Zamora (Manila)
9. Panaderos (Manila)
10. Makati Ave./Coronado-(Mandaluyong)
11. Barangka /Estrella (Mandaluyong)(U/C)
12. Guadalupe-(Mandaluyong)
13. C5 -(Taguig??)
14. Bambang (Pasig?)
15. Kalawaan (pasig?
16. Napindan -(Taguig?)

Maniladailyphoto's Flickr

The Lonely Pasig River
http://static.flickr.com/63/181551599_be1055744d.jpg?v=0

Unfortunately, until we have squatters along Pasig river and better control on water pollution, Pasig river will continue its death.

It only needs political will to clean-up the Pasig River by relocating the
many factories that added more chemicals that pollute the River and to
remove the squatters that lived on the shore of the Pasig River.

below were excerpts from newspaper : Manila Standard Today

Saving our dying rivers


EVERY time a killer typhoon batters Rizal and Laguna province and rampaging floodwaters destroy the fish cages in Laguna Lake, swarms of bangus, tilapia and hito would swim downstream, carried away into the murky waters of the Pasig River. Fish of all sizes would swim all the way to the mouth of the river off Manila Bay and drawn to its salty but warmer water.

Oftentimes, enterprising river watchers would take out their fishnets, hurl them into the waters and to their delight find pieces of bangus and tilapia jumping, trying to wriggle out of the trap. But when they try to sell the fish, there are usually no takers. And when they bring the fish home and have them cooked, the members of the household don’t have the appetite to feast on the viand. They are afraid of being stricken with stomach pain or being poisoned, suspecting that the fish may have swallowed toxic chemical wastes that abound in the heavily polluted Pasig River.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/phi_lead1.gif Distribution of Heavy metals in the sediments of Manila Bay, Pasig River and in Lagna de Bay

In any community, the river is a source of food, a source of livelihood. But this had ceased to be so in the case of the mighty Pasig River since a long time ago. It has become a dead waterway, a victim of unabated environmental pollution caused by indiscriminate dumping of chemical and biological wastes.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/Pasigshanty-1.jpg Pasig river shanty

At its present state, no sane person would take a boat ride, say reach Manila from San Juan, via the Pasig River for the stench alone would make such a trip unbearable. Squatter colonies along various portions of the banks of Pasig River have contributed to the degradation of the river.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/PasigGreenpeace1.jpg

One could not help but think about the condition of Pasig River in the olden days. In his novels, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Dr. Jose Rizal described how beautiful, clean and teeming with life the river was during his time. The picnics along the banks of Pasig, as told by the national hero, gave us a glimpse of how important the river was not only as a transportation highway but also as a source of food and income for fisherfolk. Indeed, Pasig River served as the economic lifeblood for communities lying along the long water artery. Today, the river is a far cry from what it was more than a century ago.

Many other rivers all over the archipelago are either dead, dying or in danger of being choked up by silt due to soil erosion or human debris, washed out by destructive floods or dried up by drought. As a result, the surrounding environment is not only being ruined but the Filipinos are facing scarcity of water to drink and water to nourish their plants and animals, as our rivers, streams and their tributaries are dried up or choked up.

Given these dreadful situation, it is heartening to hear newly appointed Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes unveiling the new thrust of his department to understand a massive cleanup and rehabilitation of at least 20 major rivers in the country with Pasig River at the top of the priority list.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), according to Reyes, is now drawing up a 10-year program that would preserve and protect rivers and other waterways through forest conservation and prevention of soil erosion. It would revive the dying rivers and make them cleaner, greener, and habitable, he says.

Many attempts had been made in the past to clean up the Pasig River and bring back its old splendor but they either failed or yielded disappointing results.

In fact, the cleanup and beautification of the waterway through the interagency Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission started by the Ramos administration, is still being carried out by the Arroyo administration.

At any rate, the plan of Secretary Reyes for the Pasig River cleanup and revival is laudable because anything that would be complementary to the existing effort should be fully encouraged and supported.

As explained by the environment czar, the rehabilitation of Pasig will include not merely the main waterway, but also the tributaries, commonly called esteros that run through Binondo, Tondo, Quiapo, Sta. Cruz and Sampaloc and the canals in the cities of Marikina, Pasig, San Juan, Quezon City and other areas of Metro Manila. “You cannot revive the Pasig without cleaning up the tributaries,” Reyes said.

We can see two reasons that give us hope that the revival plan initiated by Reyes will have more than a fair chance of succeeding. First, he has enlisted the participation of environment scientists and engineers of the University of the Philippines to draw up the master plan for the project. He has asked international organizations like the World Bank to support the project.

Second, he is trying to pursue a realistic approach to the problem through the formulation of a 10-year time frame for the project. His vast experience in law enforcement will come into play since cleaning up the Pasig River entails going after industries that dump their wastes into the river. The same with the need to relocate the squatters living along the riverbanks.

A 1991 study showed that pollutants dumped into the Pasig River consisted of 45 percent liquid industrial wastes and 10 percent solid wastes. Another study said that pollution in the river peaked in 1996. The river, according to the study, still provided clean water for homes, fish for the table and irrigation for farms in the early ’50s.

The DENR chief stressed that public support is essential for the success of the Pasig River project to start a long-overdue revival of the country’s freshwater ecosystem.

He warned that in Luzon alone, 29 rivers and river systems have been classified by environment experts as either dead or dying. The Environment Management Bureau of the DENR has identified the dead rivers as the Amburaya and Baroro in La Union; Upper Agno and Dagupan in Pangasinan; Balagtas, Bocaue, Guiguinto, Marilao and Meycauayan in Bulacan and Dumaca in Batangas.

In Metro Manila, the EMB has reported that nine river subbasins are in critical conditions. These are the two rivers that form the Obando-Malabon-Navotas Estuary; the rivers in Balut (Tondo), Malabon, Marikina and Payatas (Quezon City); Tullahan in Valenzuela; and the three rivers in Taguig-Napindan areas near Fort Bonifacio.

Secretary Reyes said that ultimately, the rehabilitation of our river systems together with the protection of our watershed areas from forest denudation, is aimed at preventing a looming water crisis. Unless these conservation and protection measures are undertaken, he said it is no exaggeration that the day may come when potable water will become more precious a commodity than oil.

His message is chilling in its simplicity: “Man may be able to live without oil, but definitely not without water.” Fact is, he has warned of wars that may be fought to get access to water, if and when it becomes dangerously scarce.

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/ContentLoader?page=felMaragay_mar20_2006* * *

In the 1950s, the river Pasig inspired the creation of a movie with such a haunting song and theme called "Mutya ng Pasig" based on an immortal kundiman by Nicanor Abelardo. I remember as a child watching a lot of reruns of this vintage movie and singing along pretending I was a water nymph:

Dati akong Paraluman,
Sa Kaharian ng pag-ibig,
Ang pag-ibig ng mamatay,
Naglaho rin ang kaharian.

Ang lakas ko ay nalipat,
Sa puso't dibdib ng lahat;
Kung nais ninyong akoy mabuhay,
Pag-ibig ko'y inyong ibigay.

Listen to the haunting kundiman music by Nicanor Abelardo:
Mutya ng Pasig (http://www.geocities.com/philippinemusic/mutya.html)

The Movie

Mutya Ng Pasig
Tagalog Movie
Directed by Richard Abelardo
Story and Screenplay by Mar S. Torres as serialized in Sinag-Tala

Category:
Vintage
Drama
Label LVN

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/MutyangPasig.jpg
Mercedes (Rebecca Gonzales) drowns in the Pasig

Mutya ng Pasig is a supernatural melodrama of a woman's misfortune and suffering interwoven with the legend of the Pasig. The legend itself is inspired by the immortal kundiman of the director's brother, Nicanor Abelardo.

Mercedes (Rebecca Gonzales), aside from being the town's current mutya (fiesta queen), is about to be married to his childhood sweetheart. (Roger Nite). Unknown to them, Dr. Modesto Millar (Jose Padilla Jr), is also secretly in love with Mercedes. One night, Modesto's house is robbed and the blame is placed on Mercedes' groom-to-be. He is arrested and imprisoned after which Modesto courts Mercedes and eventually marries her. When the former fiance is finally released, gossip spreads about hi m and Mercedes.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya2.jpg
Chedeng and Modesto

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya3.jpg
Chedeng and their daughter are thrown out of the house

Consumed by anger and jealousy and believing the superstitious talk that the baby girl is not his because of an ugly birthmark, he banishes Mercedes and the child, chased by his monstrous dog, and she drowns in the river. From that point on, a legend spreads about a woman, a sirena, haunting the river singing a sad but beautiful song.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya4.jpg
Kuwento tungkol sa mahiwagang sirena

Mercedes' daughter is saved by a childlesss couple (Tolindoy and Angge) and grows into a lovely woman (Delia Razon) inheriting her mother's love for music. She is betrothed to Basilio (Teody Belarmino), the son of Mercedes' former flame. When Delia becomes the town's mutya, a commotion ensues and in the dead of night, she takes a banca and ventures into the dark river. Basilio is frantic and searches for her, believing she may have drowned.

He hears the haunting song and witnesses the apparition, but it is no sirena, but the ghost of the lovely Mercedes, hovering over a bed of water lilies with the practically lifeless body of her daughter at her feet. Mercedes is singing the haunting kundiman "… ako ang Mutya ng Pasig…"

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya5.jpg
"… ako ang mutya ng pasig…"

The townspeople take the unconscious Delia to Don Modesto but at first he refuses to treat the young woman until he sees the birthmark on the young woman's shoulder. He finally realizes the truth and finally accepts Delia as his daughter.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya6.jpg
Pakiusap kay Don Modesto

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya7.jpg
Teody Belarmino and Delia Razon

Stars:
Jose Padilla Jr, Rebecca Gonzales, Teody Belarmino, Delia Razon, Roger Nite,
Lily Miraflor

Source: http://www.kabayancentral.com/video/lvn/cplvnmnp.html

In the 1950s, the river Pasig inspired the creation of a movie with such a haunting song and theme called "Mutya ng Pasig" based on an immortal kundiman by Nicanor Abelardo. I remember as a child watching a lot of reruns of this vintage movie and singing along pretending I was a water nymph:

Dati akong Paraluman,
Sa Kaharian ng pag-ibig,
Ang pag-ibig ng mamatay,
Naglaho rin ang kaharian.

Ang lakas ko ay nalipat,
Sa puso't dibdib ng lahat;
Kung nais ninyong akoy mabuhay,
Pag-ibig ko'y inyong ibigay.

Listen to the haunting kundiman music by Nicanor Abelardo:
Mutya ng Pasig (http://www.geocities.com/philippinemusic/mutya.html)

The Movie

Mutya Ng Pasig
Tagalog Movie
Directed by Richard Abelardo
Story and Screenplay by Mar S. Torres as serialized in Sinag-Tala

Category:
Vintage
Drama
Label LVN

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/MutyangPasig.jpg
Mercedes (Rebecca Gonzales) drowns in the Pasig

Mutya ng Pasig is a supernatural melodrama of a woman's misfortune and suffering interwoven with the legend of the Pasig. The legend itself is inspired by the immortal kundiman of the director's brother, Nicanor Abelardo.

Mercedes (Rebecca Gonzales), aside from being the town's current mutya (fiesta queen), is about to be married to his childhood sweetheart. (Roger Nite). Unknown to them, Dr. Modesto Millar (Jose Padilla Jr), is also secretly in love with Mercedes. One night, Modesto's house is robbed and the blame is placed on Mercedes' groom-to-be. He is arrested and imprisoned after which Modesto courts Mercedes and eventually marries her. When the former fiance is finally released, gossip spreads about hi m and Mercedes.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya2.jpg
Chedeng and Modesto

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya3.jpg
Chedeng and their daughter are thrown out of the house

Consumed by anger and jealousy and believing the superstitious talk that the baby girl is not his because of an ugly birthmark, he banishes Mercedes and the child, chased by his monstrous dog, and she drowns in the river. From that point on, a legend spreads about a woman, a sirena, haunting the river singing a sad but beautiful song.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya4.jpg
Kuwento tungkol sa mahiwagang sirena

Mercedes' daughter is saved by a childlesss couple (Tolindoy and Angge) and grows into a lovely woman (Delia Razon) inheriting her mother's love for music. She is betrothed to Basilio (Teody Belarmino), the son of Mercedes' former flame. When Delia becomes the town's mutya, a commotion ensues and in the dead of night, she takes a banca and ventures into the dark river. Basilio is frantic and searches for her, believing she may have drowned.

He hears the haunting song and witnesses the apparition, but it is no sirena, but the ghost of the lovely Mercedes, hovering over a bed of water lilies with the practically lifeless body of her daughter at her feet. Mercedes is singing the haunting kundiman "… ako ang Mutya ng Pasig…"

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya5.jpg
"… ako ang mutya ng pasig…"

The townspeople take the unconscious Delia to Don Modesto but at first he refuses to treat the young woman until he sees the birthmark on the young woman's shoulder. He finally realizes the truth and finally accepts Delia as his daughter.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya6.jpg
Pakiusap kay Don Modesto

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/ECdoesit/Mutya7.jpg
Teody Belarmino and Delia Razon

Stars:
Jose Padilla Jr, Rebecca Gonzales, Teody Belarmino, Delia Razon, Roger Nite,
Lily Miraflor

Source: http://www.kabayancentral.com/video/lvn/cplvnmnp.html


Lily my dear,

may I post the complete lyric of Mutya ng Pasig.

MUTYA NG PASIG
Music by Nicanor Abelardo
Lyrics by Deogracias del Rosario


Kung gabing ang buwan
sa langit ay nakadungaw;
Tila ginigising ng habagat
sa kanyang pagtulog sa tubig;
Ang isang larawang puti at busilak,
Na lugay ang buhok na animo'y agos;
Ito ang Mutya ng Pasig,
Ito ang Mutya ng Pasig.


Sa kanyang pagsiklot
sa maputing bula,
Kasabay ang awit,
kasabay ang tula;


Dati akong Paraluman,
Sa Kaharian ng pag-ibig,
Ang pag-ibig ng mamatay,
Naglaho rin ang kaharian.


Ang lakas ko ay nalipat,
Sa puso't dibdib ng lahat;
Kung nais ninyong akoy mabuhay,
Pag-ibig ko'y inyong ibigay.

MIDI Sequence by Ian-James R. Andres
All Rights Reserved

Notice

Due to the Webmaster's lack of available resources and inadequate reference materials on Philippine classical music he can not entertain any request for the MIDI sequencing of any classical Filipino song and will not answer inquiries nor will provide additional information regarding a specific song or a biography etc. of a particular Filipino music composer whose works are not included in this website.


Ian-James R. Andres
Webmaster

http://www.geocities.com/philippinemusic/mutya.html

^^ Thank you Señor Emesber. :)

Mga kabayan,

Here is a link to a letter I sent Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2003 about a commom tao's vision for the Pasig River:

http://www.geocities.com/reggiedoc/PasigDream.htm

This same letter was addressed to our kabayans to rally behind a dream shared by so many Filipinos.

Here is the message:


Dear fellow Filipinos,

My wife and I visited beautiful Philippines in March of this year 2003. We were so impressed by the revival of Philippine tourism as evidenced by the transformation of tourist-related facilities. Credit goes to Dick Gordon and his enthusiastic team of workers and volunteers. We were dismayed to find out that the Pasig River Ride/Cruise we read from an Insight Guides-Philippines book was no longer availabe. Metro Ferry went out of business.


However, I still have a vision. For 2004, there is hope that this dream can become reality if:


1) the DOT and PCVC can create unique historical packages and even some with a romantic theme that can cater to different crowds;


2) a bold company like Sun Cruises, WG&A or any othe shipping line ventures into providing even just ONE AIRCONDITIONED (the stench from the river is a turn off therefore the AC factor is important) vessel to trial this exciting package;


3) well-established crowd drawers like Jollibee and/or Starbucks participate as ship vendors. These vendors should have a strong track record in caring for the environment;


4) this said riverboat cruise/ tour will be included in the Filipino students' list of school/educational tours so they can learn about the Philippines glorious past;


5) this said river tour will be incorporated in the Intramuros History Town renaissance project that has proven to be a big hit already (i.e., docking and ferrying tourists and residents to and from around the Intramuros vicinity)


I hope and pray that with the visionary senator Richard Gordon, DOT secretary Roberto Pagdanganan who now follows in his footsteps and the hardworking DOT/PCVC, the dynamic Mayor L. Atienza and the city of Manila, the adventurous private sector, NGOs like the Clean and Green Foundation, Inc., the PRRC as well as the endorsement of PGMA, the PASIG RIVERBOAT TOUR/CRUISE will be 2004's newly talked about program that is widely supported by the DOT under its WOW PHILIPPINES project. Ambitious as it may seem, this is something that the Philippines is capable of creating, then and only then can we create hope and faith that the once glorious Pasig River will reclaim its grandeur even ONE STEP AT A TIME. This will then speak a lot about the Philippines' way of overcoming or turning a misfortune into something productive and full of life, just like what the Pasig River is once known for, as the River of Life.


Very sincerely,
Reggie and Leny Horwitz
Durham, NC, USA

I like classic movies, parang gusto kong mapanood, eheheh, Ang Mutya ng Pasig.......

^^Me too, it's good to know that I'm watching a movie from the Golden Age of Philippine Cinema, astig na astig pa industry noon eh. Just like sa Pasig, we all hope na manumbalik ang "golden age" niya, kahit di na gold, silver ok na.

Hello forum members,

I googled the Pasig Ferry Service to check any news updates as we are now in the last quarter of 2006. I found a government website on the ferry service but there are no updates this year at all. Here is the link:

http://www.marina.gov.ph/pasigferry/

Could our Manila mainstays give us the latest scoop on the stations, please? :)

Thank you in advance.

Reggie
Cary, NC

For anyone trying to revitalize the Pasig - GOD BLESS YOU.

As fo the squatters - squatters are not unique to Manila, they are common in all developing countries. Inicdentally in nearly all developing countries, only one city - usually the capital city - has a primacy over all the other cities and urban areas - the center of power, the center of economics, media, etc.

If I recall squatters are people from the provinces who come to the big city for a better way of life. But since they do not know anyone in the city, and lack education and skills, they might not even speak Tagalog, only their local dialect, they cannot find jobs and housing, so they live in shantytowns or other makeshift abodes.

The Philippines is guilty of over-promoting its prime metropolitan area -- Metro Manila. All of the television news, television shows, poitics, entertainment and mass media is extremely Manila-centric. Where else would a provinical family go?

The only way to reduce squatters is to further develop other urban areas, so they all don't come to one city and have to live in these conditions.

Ironically, the provincial squatters were better off living where they came from - their lives would still be simple, but not filty. They would not go hungry, and with a support network of family and friends, they would not b isolated. Unfortunately the lure of the city voids any positive aspects of living in the provinces.

^^Oh so true, alot of our fellow FIlipinos living in the provinces still have the delusion that Manila is the Land of Prosperity, too bad for many of them it's not.

depends on what you mean by provinces.. you mean by small towns or remote areas??? or do you include small cities further north and further south.. cuz every person who lives in manila would call almost every person who lives outside manila "probinsyano" although its true when you look at the definition

"provinces Areas of a country situated away from the capital or population center."

theres a lot of population centres in the philippines now, but if you say capital then that means ncr, however I think its somewhat degrading to the people who live outside manila to be automatically called probinsyano. Theres even this story thats really quite popular among those who live in mindanao, or the visayas i think whereby a person who came from outside the NCR went to study in UP and he got asked quite a few number of times "ah, probinsyano ka ba? may ilaw ba sa inyo?" of course this is a very harsh stereotyping.

baaaah, they should start creating states so that each person would ask "what state you from?" rather than "probinsyano ka ba?"

Although back to the topic... I never liked big cities when I was small... I never liked manila when I came to stay there for a month, i thought that the whole place was a mess... although I loved the malls and the view of the tall buildings in makati... but never really envisioned myself living there... so many poor people who flock to the country's capital hoping for better lives but they dont.. and end up being squatters. They make a lot of children to which makes things even worse. When I came to london, I loved the place because it was historic, but still i hated it in a way because for me big cities arent my type :D ... now im stuck in a medium sized city... the type of city i always like.

Although i know that someday, we wil be able to sort out our capital region, make it cleaner, squatter free, greener and a beautiful atmosphere. But we can dream cant we??? Maybe that time i would reconsider my thoughts :D Ahh well, i like small cities because everything is so simple....

@OT who the feck started those public urinals along the streets??? they look awful and the stench is i cannot describe :( ohnoes! I hope this gets sorted out really soon...

Just wanna share a photo I took while passing through the river's historical landmarks. This was taken around Christmas 2004.

http://www.geocities.com/reggiedoc/PasigPostOffice2004.jpg

The Christmas spirit is surely in our midst.

^^ That's a pretty sight. Thanks for sharing. :)

Where exactly is that place Reggie?

^^Isn't that the Post Office Building? I could remember the characteristic fountains infront...

Hindi ko kasi makita sa computer ko kasi madilim siya. Ang nakikita ko na lang ay mga ilaw...

Yeah, XP that's the Central Post Office that the Barcelo Hotel group planned to develop one time into a historical hotel. That didn't pan out. Thanks, Otakaw for filling us in. I was impressed with the play of colors at the fountain area when I did my own walking tour along the banks of the river.

^oh... sayang naman. It would be a goodlooking hotel imo. Ok pa view ng Pasig River in that part.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/PasigRiver1800.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/Pasig.jpg

A foreign team of rowers explore the Pasig River for rowing.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/Pasig.jpg

A foreign team of rowers explore the Pasig River for rowing.

Yikes!!! The boat might disintegrate!!!

4 person shell made of wood... i didn't know they still had those. my highschool went to all fiberglass a long time ago. that must be really heavy. and that coxswain must have a crazy time navigating around the kangkong and lilipads.

and that coxswain must have a crazy time navigating around the kangkong and lilipads.

I hope no one gets to eat that kangkong...

River ferry to save govt a lot of money

By VG Cabuag
Reporter

INSTEAD of developing costlier elevated train systems for public transportation, the Philippine government could save a lot of money if it fully revives the Pasig River mass transport ferry system, an official of a state-led lender said.

Besides decongesting Metro Manila, the Pasig Ferry system has also been envisioned to support the Roll-on/Roll-off system, which allows ships to carry vehicles, goods and passengers at the same time, Marietto A. Enecio, senior vice-president of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) said.

“I think you would need P200 million per terminal of the MRT [Metro Rail Transit]. But with the Pasig Ferry, you would only need P80 million to purchase all the vessels that you need,” Enecio said.

The government banker also said that the project is more economical than the railway system since it only involves the purchase of
the vessels and the provision of the terminals or ports along the banks.

“You can also place food stalls in the banks that could earn more money,” he said.

Involving 17 terminals located at various areas along the banks of the Pasig river, the system, in the long- term, is expected to run through the river’s main tributaries to serve residents from Marikina, Laguna
de Bay and Cavite.

Since it involves carrying passengers and cargo to and from Metro Manila, Enecio said that the project has already been placed in the first phase of the Philippines’ domestic shipping development plan.

In the early '90s, two operators—Magsaysay Lines and Star Craft Ferry—plied the route but both failed to be sustainable owing to the low volume of passengers.

Magsaysay, which served the Guadalupe-Escolta route, and Star Craft, which plied the Bambang in Pasig to Escolta, both closed their operations after a year.

However, the DBP claimed that there were other reasons behind the closure of the service, including mismanagement and other “money matters.”
By year end, the government and the Nautical Transport Service, an Australian company, will again ply the previous routes served by the Pasig Ferry system.

Last May, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission announced that the new operator will serve six stations including Guadalupe in Makati; Hulo in Mandaluyong; Escolta, the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines campus in Sta. Mesa, Sta. Ana and Lambingan, all in Manila.

That is right. The cheapest means of transport system is the ferry system.

Yeah, XP that's the Central Post Office that the Barcelo Hotel group planned to develop one time into a historical hotel. That didn't pan out. Thanks, Otakaw for filling us in. I was impressed with the play of colors at the fountain area when I did my own walking tour along the banks of the river.

:) Hotel? hmmm... syang naman, that can be a really good rival to Singapore's Fullerton. Fullerton also has a Neoclassical facade right?

That is right. The cheapest means of transport system is the ferry system.

that is true. but in Pasig River of today once the ferry sank, the passengers will surely die quickly once the polluted water enter their stomach...

that is why there is an urgent need to flush out the filth from the river before the ferries begin to sail. but since it is impossible to totally flush out dirt, authorities must significantly decrease the inherent pollutants and the cause of pollutants.
the ferry system must also be equipped with life saving devices such as boats and life jackets in case of sudden mishap.

It takes tons of effort, resources and cooperation to clean the estuaries and waterways alone that flow to the Pasig River. The biggest hurdle of them all is the removal and relocation of the informal settlers along the banks in terms of costs and legal obstacles (the despicable Lina Law) that prevents the authorities from fully exercising its rights for the benefit of the public.

:) Hotel? hmmm... syang naman, that can be a really good rival to Singapore's Fullerton. Fullerton also has a Neoclassical facade right?
Your exactly right, Otakaw. A worthy comparison though its present state leaves a lot to be desired.

hope the gov't/multi sectoral groups,etc.., can help pasig river be alive again!

Just wanna share a shot of the Pasig River as seen from the walled city during my 2003 visit. Though the picture appears gloomy, I believe that does not depict the Filipinos' indomitable spirit to triumph over the forces that almost brought the total demise of this river that once breathed so much life to its nearby inhabitants.

http://www.geocities.com/reggiedoc/pasig2003.jpg

^^I really hope, I mean we ALL HOPE that river will become alive once again.

that is why there is an urgent need to flush out the filth from the river before the ferries begin to sail. but since it is impossible to totally flush out dirt, authorities must significantly decrease the inherent pollutants and the cause of pollutants.
the ferry system must also be equipped with life saving devices such as boats and life jackets in case of sudden mishap.

Correct, the only way to fully resolve a problem is to target the root cause

that is why there is an urgent need to flush out the filth from the river before the ferries begin to sail. but since it is impossible to totally flush out dirt, authorities must significantly decrease the inherent pollutants and the cause of pollutants.
the ferry system must also be equipped with life saving devices such as boats and life jackets in case of sudden mishap.

there is only one solution change the mentality of all Pinoys not to throw garbage or pollutants to the river, streets or anywhere. The elite who owns those factories in the bank of the Pasig must change their mentality, also the poorest of the poor who squats their house in the riverbank. But those squatters were huge voters camp during election so without the political will of the Mayors in municipalities where the Pasig River passed nothing will happen.

Neda board OK’s P6.4-B Mindanao rural devt
project, P4.6-B Pasig-Marikina river project

By Rommer M. Balaba
Reporter

THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board has confirmed the approval of three donor-funded projects worth over P17 billion and focused toward a better infrastructure and logistics network in the country.

World Bank, together with the Global Environmental Facility, is expected to lend P4.453 billion for the Mindanao Rural Development Project-Adaptable Program Loan 2 in exchange for a P1.99-billion counterpart from the Philippine government.

“MRDP APL2 shall implement four distinct but interdependent components: institutional strengthening and capacity building for decentralized services, rural infrastructure, community fund for agricultural development subprojects and natural resource management,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri noted in his presentation supporting the projects’ confirmation.

On the infrastructure side, about 500 kilometers of farm-to-market roads and 140 level I and II water supply would be built while 5,205 hectares of land would benefit from new communal irrigation systems to be constructed.

Level I water supply service are directly from existing shallow wells, deep wells or springs while Level II is characterized by a communal faucet system in houses densely clustered enough to justify a piped distribution system.

The loan project likewise intends to fund at least 10,000 agri-business development undertakings to be implemented by local communities in the southern Philippine island.

In case of the P4.608-billion Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project-Phase II, Japan Bank for International Cooperation is lending P3.967 billion under its STEP (Special Term Economic Partnership) funding stream.

STEP is the follow-on, tied facility to the Special Yen Loan Package administered by JBIC, with interest rate of 0.9 percent, repayment period of 40 years including 10 years’ grace period.

The proposed scope of works includes the construction of 17.6 kilometers of revetments, 28.2 kilometers of parapet walls and excavation of about 15,000 cubic meters of soil deposits covering the stretch from Del Pan Bridge to Napindan Channel.

Up to 1.2 million individuals are expected to benefit from the loan project while 4,800 hectares will be protected based on the 30-year design flood, documents from the Investment Coordination Committee earlier noted.

“The frequent inundation or massive flooding caused by the overflowing of the Pasig-Marikina River results in severe damages to lives, livestock, properties and infrastructure,” Neri added.

Metro Manila experiences flooding when Marikina River becomes inundated as the river system can generate flood-flows of about 200 cubic meters per second to 4,000 cubic meters per second during the wet season, as against the Pasig River bank’s full channel capacity varying from as little as 50 cubic meters per second to only about 750 cubic meters per second.

The P5.98-billion Non-Intrusive Container System Project, Phase II, meanwhile, was proposed for financing from the Chinese government and will enable the Bureau of Customs with a non-intrusive detection technology in the examination and inspection of sealed cargo and shipments many major ports and airports in the country.

The project involves the purchase, installation and operation of 20 mobile x-ray units in major customs areas under a 20-year loan term inclusive of a 5-year grace period and at an annual interest rate of 2 percent.


http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/eco04.php

ganda ng proposed renderings ng palafox sa pasig!

buhayin ulit ang pasig! wer ang renderings? i'll check the previos posts as well.

buhayin ulit ang pasig! wer ang renderings? i'll check the previos posts as well.

Follow this link: http://www.palafoxoutsourcing.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=49#

From the Palafox site:

"Location : Pasig City, Philippines

The Vision

The rehabilitation will effect a paradigm shift from back-of-the-house to front-door of development, creating a vibrant river corridor that is walkable and that links the different areas of the city.

By 2015, a revitalized Pasig River will be the showcase of multi-sectoral synergy and model for sensitive developments conducive to living, working, and studying, abundant with parks and greenery, host to a range of activities and exemplary architecture

The Pasig River Redevelopment

DESCRIPTION:
To redevelop Pasig River waterways and riverbanks in order to increase tourism, alleviate traffic, cap toxic substances that pollute the once fabled and revered river in history and literary books, revitalize its waters so as to make the river fit for bathing, fish catching, and as a transport system.

PROJECT COMPONENTS:
One focus site of the redevelopment is the Makati-Mandaluyong area spanning from the Guadalupe Bridge to Makati-Mandaluyong Bridge. Another is the area in Intramuros known as the Muelle del Rio."

^^ So they envision a modernistic approach to the redevelopment of the Pasig River as shown by the modern bridges in the photo. I hope they also reintroduce the Fil-Hispanic heritage in the Manila side to recapture the historical significance of the river.

Pasig River ferry service set for launch next month
By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio
The Philippine Star 11/13/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200611130703.htm
The Pasig River is poised to become a major commuter route once more as a new ferry service project starts plying the Manila-Marikina route by next month.

According to Narcissa Briones, project development officer of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, the ferry ride is expected to be a cheaper and quicker alternative to land travel.

"The travel time from Napindan (Marikina) to Intramuros (Manila) will be reduced by 30 to 35 minutes," Briones told reporters during the Pasig River tour.

A soft launch is scheduled next month while full commercial operations will start June next year.

A total of 12 air-conditioned passenger- type ferries will ply the entire Manila to Marikina route. For the soft launch, two of the 150-capacity ferries will be ready to service commuters.

Briones said they expect an average of about 42,400 passengers to use the ferries daily. The ferry service will operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The fare, Briones added, is relatively cheap at P2.25 per kilometer. Roughly, she said this translates to a P30 fee for the entire Marikina to Manila route.

The ferry will have 14 stations: Plaza Mexico, Escolta, Quezon Bridge, PUP, Sta. Ana, Lambingan Bridge, Valenzuela, Hulo, Guadalupe, San Joaquin, Napindan, Marcos Bridge, Riverbanks and Sta. Elena.

Briones pointed out that security measures in all the stations will be very strict because the ferry will pass by Malacanang Palace, the country’s seat of power.

"Passengers will pass through a metal detector," she noted. Also, she said the ticketing system of the ferry will be similar to those used by the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.

Meanwhile, to ensure the safety of all passengers, Briones said each ferry will have a member of the Coast Guard on board the entire time. Furthermore, lifejackets will be provided to all commuters.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has helped finance the clean-up of the Pasig River in order to make it a conducive channel for transportation.

In a statement, ADB said it has released $176 million in financial assistance to help restore the environment and realize the river’s socioeconomic development potential.

The investment components include measures to relocate informal settlers, establish and develop 10-meter wide environmental protection areas along the riverbank, upgrade infrastructure, and eliminate illegal dumping of municipal solid waste into the river system.

^^ I have a pic of the Escolta station, maganda talaga, will post later.

Inquirer (http://services.inq7.net/print/print.php?article_id=31901)

UNITED NATIONS STUDY
Pasig now one of world’s most polluted rivers


Inquirer

Posted date: November 11, 2006


ONCE the country’s most celebrated waterways, the Pasig River is now one of the world’s most polluted rivers, according to a report launched Thursday by the United Nations Human Development Program (UNDP) in Cape Town, South Africa.

An article in the UNDP report titled, “Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis,” said that human waste accounts for 70 percent of the pollution load in Pasig River today.

But that’s old news. According to a Department of Environment and Natural Resources 2003 pollution report, the Pasig River, along with four other waterways in Metro Manila—the Marikina, San Juan, Navotas-Malabon-Tenejeros-Tullahan and Parañaque rivers—was biologically dead.

Nevertheless, 150 tons of domestic waste and 75 tons of industrial waste were still being dumped every day in the river, the DENR said.

The Pasig River was once compared to the Grand Canal of Venice before the years of large-scale development. It now runs through 11 of the 17 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila: Caloocan, Makati, Marikina, Mandaluyong, Manila, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, Pateros, Pasay and Pasig.

The UNDP report said the “problem is that sludge treatment and disposal facilities are rare,” leading to the indiscriminate disposal of wastes into the river.

This had ill-effects on health, as one-third of all illness in Manila was water-related.

“The crisis in water and sanitation is—above all—a crisis for the poor,” the UNDP report said. “People living in the slums of Jakarta, Indonesia; Manila, Philippines, and Nairobi, Kenya, pay 5 to 10 times more for water per unit than those in high-income areas of their own cities, and more than consumers pay in London or New York.”

No coherent strategy

Projects aimed at cleaning the river had not gone far “partly because of the failure of the government and water providers to develop a coherent strategy for tackling Manila’s sanitation crisis,” the report said.

In solving problems like this, “community-led initiatives are important, but they are not a substitute for government action—and private financing by poor households is not a substitute for public finance and service provision,” the report added.

Excited to see your updated photos of the ferry station/stations!

wow... by june next year, i can take a ferry to school... astig!

photos of the river taken last may pa... during our SSC escolta walk meet...
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/DSC03551.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/DSC03553.jpg

pero ok lang ba mag ferry dyan kung iyan ang makikita mo? paano na ang amoy?

pagdating ma sa school amoy imburnal ka na..:lol:

^^ siguro ok lang kung aircon yung mga ferry. a/c ba?

^^haha... sana nga a/c para di ka mag amoy imburnal... :lol:

photos of the river taken last may pa... during our SSC escolta walk meet...
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/DSC03551.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/DSC03553.jpg

Oh my, the children are swimming in murky waters. I hope they don't get sick.

immuned na sila @ate lili

immuned na sila @ate lili

Correct, that would be my reaction too, may mga bata nga na nakita ko, they are bathing in a deep-excavation-turned-swimming-pool

^^haha... sana nga a/c para di ka mag amoy imburnal... :lol:

Actualy, pinakita nila yung ferries sa ANC... parang mahahaba na tourist boats yung bapor na airconditioned at yung stations yung airconditioned na may arch. design kung saan mayroong synthetic rocks(anong archi. ba yon? Very popular siya ngayon...)

Oh my, the children are swimming in murky waters. I hope they don't get sick.

Baka nga mas healthy pa ang mga batang yan kesa sa atin..

Oh my, the children are swimming in murky waters. I hope they don't get sick.

haha!!! sanay na ang mga batang yan... take note dun sa kabilang side, may nag poo-poo pa... :D

Correct, that would be my reaction too, may mga bata nga na nakita ko, they are bathing in a deep-excavation-turned-swimming-pool

ha ha ha 'reaction too' pala akala ko 'erection too' sinabi mo....dyan yata yong exact place na pinuntahan namin nila ishteph, ash and jepoy na may mama na nag-poo poo labas ang pwet.

Actualy, pinakita nila yung ferries sa ANC... parang mahahaba na tourist boats yung bapor na airconditioned at yung stations yung airconditioned na may arch. design kung saan mayroong synthetic rocks(anong archi. ba yon? Very popular siya ngayon...)


maganda ba yung boats? sayang di ko nakita...

sinilip ko kahapon yung PUP ferry station... hindi pa sya napinturahan.
baka hindi pa siya kasali sa soft opening...?


and question.. where exactly in marikina is napindan?

^^ PArang mahahabang yachts siya na airconditioned....

Anyway, yung estasyon ba sa PUP mayroong yung synthetic rocks design?

wala pa... siguro magkakaroon..,

binububungan nila nung sinilip ko... siguro kung mamadaliin nila yung station aabot yun sa soft opening next month...

baka sa thursday or friday post ako ng pic ng PUP station... maganda siya... (promise) it doesnt look crappy at all... really good design.. it looks a bit similar to the one in guadalupe.

pic by: Sir Dudz
(i think i got it here or at the infra forum...)

http://i4.tinypic.com/107qqoo.jpg
(i'm just not sure if ganyan din magiging kulay... feeling ko iba magiging color nung samin since ang mga stations ay nakabagay sa kanilang environment... and since maroon and yellow ang colors ng PUP... most probably may hint of these colors ang station,...

http://i1.tinypic.com/rmjiqd.jpg
pwede ring may hint of green... kasi green yung railings... hehehe (dun pa sa dulo niyan yung station... luma nang pic to eh)

kaya pala walang taga marikina ang makapagsabi sakin kung saan ang napindan... sa taguig pa yun...

(lumang article)

River taxi project deferred to end-2006
By Max V. de Leon
Reporter

THE commercial operation of the 14-station Pasig River Ferry project has been moved from June to the end of the year due to delays in the construction of the boats and the stations.
The project is a joint undertaking of the Department of Transportation and Communications, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC).
Engineer Chito Macapagal, general manager for corporate development of Unilever, the private-sector representative in the PRRC, said only the Guadalupe Station has so far been completed and six stations are in progress.
The other stations are facing problems like relocation of informal settlers and, in the case of one station, there is a rock formation underneath the river that is taking time to remove.
Also, the company that was chosen to construct the ferries has yet to finish one, after it changed specification from smaller boats to bigger ones with 150-seat capacity.
Originally targeted to get under way next month, the Pasig River Ferry project will now go on stream in the later part of the year, beginning with the first seven stations from Plaza Mexico in Manila to San Joaquin in Pasig.
Eventually, Stations 8 to 14 from Napindan, Taguig to Marikina will be added to the routes.
Six 150-seater ferries will ply the Pasig River on a specific route basis, with smaller river taxies taking the in-between routes.
Macapagal said they will be bidding the electronic ticketing contract by next month so the system will also be ready by the start of the operations.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/0526/sfp02.php

wala pa... siguro magkakaroon..,

binububungan nila nung sinilip ko... siguro kung mamadaliin nila yung station aabot yun sa soft opening next month...

baka sa thursday or friday post ako ng pic ng PUP station... maganda siya... (promise) it doesnt look crappy at all... really good design.. it looks a bit similar to the one in guadalupe.

pic by: Sir Dudz
(i think i got it here or at the infra forum...)

http://i4.tinypic.com/107qqoo.jpg
(i'm just not sure if ganyan din magiging kulay... feeling ko iba magiging color nung samin since ang mga stations ay nakabagay sa kanilang environment... and since maroon and yellow ang colors ng PUP... most probably may hint of these colors ang station,...


Sana nga, maganda. That one up there does not look very aesthetically pleasing in my eyes.

As promised, Escolta Station yata ito.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/aaron_ofngol/Photo_110806_017x.jpg

^^ Well somehow, at least it's good that those Ferry stations are really becoming operational soon.

Thanks, Thomasian for the picture. That station looks promising!

looks good! based from the size of the station, it seems that they are not expecting a lot of passengers.

they should like umm...clean the river first xD b4 they put those ferries.

^^ Yeah, clean the river first... Commuters will be disgusted by the scenery while heading on to their destinations....

it;s kind of like riding in an open sewer. :bash:

Neda board OK’s P6.4-B Mindanao rural devt
project, P4.6-B Pasig-Marikina river project

By Rommer M. Balaba
Reporter

THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board has confirmed the approval of three donor-funded projects worth over P17 billion and focused toward a better infrastructure and logistics network in the country.

World Bank, together with the Global Environmental Facility, is expected to lend P4.453 billion for the Mindanao Rural Development Project-Adaptable Program Loan 2 in exchange for a P1.99-billion counterpart from the Philippine government.

“MRDP APL2 shall implement four distinct but interdependent components: institutional strengthening and capacity building for decentralized services, rural infrastructure, community fund for agricultural development subprojects and natural resource management,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri noted in his presentation supporting the projects’ confirmation.

On the infrastructure side, about 500 kilometers of farm-to-market roads and 140 level I and II water supply would be built while 5,205 hectares of land would benefit from new communal irrigation systems to be constructed.

Level I water supply service are directly from existing shallow wells, deep wells or springs while Level II is characterized by a communal faucet system in houses densely clustered enough to justify a piped distribution system.

The loan project likewise intends to fund at least 10,000 agri-business development undertakings to be implemented by local communities in the southern Philippine island.

In case of the P4.608-billion Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project-Phase II, Japan Bank for International Cooperation is lending P3.967 billion under its STEP (Special Term Economic Partnership) funding stream.

STEP is the follow-on, tied facility to the Special Yen Loan Package administered by JBIC, with interest rate of 0.9 percent, repayment period of 40 years including 10 years’ grace period.

The proposed scope of works includes the construction of 17.6 kilometers of revetments, 28.2 kilometers of parapet walls and excavation of about 15,000 cubic meters of soil deposits covering the stretch from Del Pan Bridge to Napindan Channel.

Up to 1.2 million individuals are expected to benefit from the loan project while 4,800 hectares will be protected based on the 30-year design flood, documents from the Investment Coordination Committee earlier noted.

“The frequent inundation or massive flooding caused by the overflowing of the Pasig-Marikina River results in severe damages to lives, livestock, properties and infrastructure,” Neri added.

Metro Manila experiences flooding when Marikina River becomes inundated as the river system can generate flood-flows of about 200 cubic meters per second to 4,000 cubic meters per second during the wet season, as against the Pasig River bank’s full channel capacity varying from as little as 50 cubic meters per second to only about 750 cubic meters per second.

The P5.98-billion Non-Intrusive Container System Project, Phase II, meanwhile, was proposed for financing from the Chinese government and will enable the Bureau of Customs with a non-intrusive detection technology in the examination and inspection of sealed cargo and shipments many major ports and airports in the country.

The project involves the purchase, installation and operation of 20 mobile x-ray units in major customs areas under a 20-year loan term inclusive of a 5-year grace period and at an annual interest rate of 2 percent.


http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/eco04.php

And may I re-emphasize this post...

Super simple yet elegante nung mga ferry stations, at least di sila jologs ano.

wahehe... our prof just mention that awhile ago sa class, sabi pa nya "that's a good thing!!!" ridng a ferry while watching titanic!!!" oh, the boat is sinking!!!... :D

^^ Ah, magandang proposal nga 'yan, sinong gustong mag-sponsor ng distribution ng DVD ng Titanic sa mga ferry boats?

I hope that a grand ferry station will rise along the riverbank and by the Intramuros to complement the Jones Bridge and the park they inaugurated several years ago. That would be awesome.

http://www.bworldonline.com/Weekender111706/photos/jones2.jpg

Wow the Jones Bridge looks magnificent.

Anywyas the problem with Pasig isn't squatters themselves nor the factories. actually it is heavily polluted by domestic sewage, I believe our Manila's sewage system is a bit outdated and there's no real system to treat the water before releasing it to the rivers.If I remember my statistics well I think 80% of the effluence comes from us residents of Manila.

And about the apprent problem on informal settlers. The PRRC and the local government untis have been gaining ground in actually relocating them. If I remember correctly squatters in Muelle Del Rio, Manila where relocated to Treze Martirez Cavite where they were given homes and livelihood to boot. Pasig City has been active in relocating some of the informal settlers along its banks, I just can't remeber the actual figures but it encompassess alot of barangays.

And cleaning Pasig means cleaning its tributaries, which is the San Juan River etc....

Actually there's a master plan in solving the problem with Pasig River. it started with Danish Report during Cory's administration and it now evolved to its current form which is the Pasig River Rehabilitation Master Plan helmed by the PRRC and created by Palafox Associates. Its a long plan, very comprehensive and ambitious. There's even designs on what the linear parks should look like and different guidelines concerning their use.

I believe one of the main strategies that the master plan highlithed was focused on changing how municipalities view the river. Most cities and its residents treat it as a disgraceful backyard. hence it literally becomes the dumping ground of different cities.

Turning it into a front yard will take time but slowly its becoming more real. Rockwell center is a prime example. Part of the plan is to turn the area across Rockwell into another commercial area, (the Noah's Ark Factory). And those linear parks which have been sprutting around the river are part of that plan.(Though I don't think people visit there that much..)

Oh also there's a rule that says there should be a 3-10 metre easement/space between the river and the road. So no structures within those 10 meters. I believe even in esteros these rules apply. The problem really is that some people are figthing against it. I believe the court uplheld this rule before so that's why there is legal backing for evicting squatters along the rivers and esteros.

I don't know what's happening with the master plan right now since I haven't had any updates on it since last year but I do hope their plans push through.

http://i10.tinypic.com/30afbyf.jpg

the PUP-ferry station

pasensha kung mejo maliit. naka zoom kasi eh,. :)

wow!!! talagang inaayos na sya... :D

http://i10.tinypic.com/30afbyf.jpg

the PUP-ferry station

pasensha kung mejo maliit. naka zoom kasi eh,. :)

It looks nice.

Richard, thanks for the PUP station photo update. My wife would be happy. She graduated from PUP in the late '80s.

that image is inspiring indeed...sana magtuloy-tuloy na ito with everyone getting involve in any way. here are some photos to show the current efforts. some military personnel are still there when i took these.

agencies (gov't and private) involve...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1364s.jpg

current developments on the south bank of the river:
looking east towards jones bridge
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1358s.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1359s.jpg

looking west towards the manila bay
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1360s.jpg

taken from jones bridge
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1361s.jpg

from the other side of jones towards the post office bldg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1362s.jpg
it would be better if there are small trees in this stretch
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1365s.jpg

under the lrt bridge looking towards the quezon bridge
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1366s.jpg
towards macarthur bridge
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1368s.jpg

a marker opposite feati university
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1369s.jpg
from quezon bridge
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1371s.jpg
the manila forest park (where the DECS once held office)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1373s.jpg

and view of makati from the bridge
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/pasig%20river%20redevelopment%20project/IMG_1374s.jpg

impressive dude. u did an excellent job! keep up the good work man.

Richard, thanks for the PUP station photo update. My wife would be happy. She graduated from PUP in the late '80s.

she'll be very happy to see PUP now... pinapaganda na sya kasi magiging open na siya sa traffic (just like UPdiliman) i'll take pix when the developments are done... siguro by next month.. :)


----------------------------------------------
galing talaga ni sir dudz... ganda na ng pasig.. (except for some basura sa river)... the linear parks are perfect... sana maging kupletong stretch na talaga yan... buong river...

sana rin malinisan na talaga nila yung river... (lalong lalo na ung mga minor rivers na connected sa pasig... like the san juan river w/c is ubod ng dirty... yung sa gilid ng UERM )

Yes. Kung malinis-linis lang nga yung River, those parks are beautiful! Look at those two (on the 3rd picture) cavorting on the park like lovers in paradise. heheh...

Hey, where is the Master, Sir Dudz? I haven't seen him posting his wonderful pictures lately.

Sir Dudz... !

Courtesy of Pau_p1 (from the Makati thread):

Rockwell and the Pasig River..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/around%20manila/DSC00577.jpg

Guadalupe Bridge and MRT station... with the giant Manny Pacquiao billboard
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/around%20manila/DSC00576.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/around%20manila/DSC00579.jpg

Yes. Kung malinis-linis lang nga yung River, those parks are beautiful! Look at those two (on the 3rd picture) cavorting on the park like lovers in paradise. heheh...

Hey, where is the Master, Sir Dudz? I haven't seen him posting his wonderful pictures lately.

Sir Dudz... !


oo nga nakakamiss si sir dudz!!! pati nung last meet di naka attend... :D

I thought the color of Pasig River was black ALL THE TIME, pau_p1's photo shows Pasig River's color as being a mix of slime green and sickly brown. Or it's just the effect of light/environment.

di naman talaga siya itim na parang ink... mejo dark lang... mejo may konting basura... mejo nabawasan nga eh...

ang madami talagang basura ay ung mga minor rivers... yun ang unang dapat asikasuhin... dahil kahit 10 years mong linisin ang pasig river eh hindi yan lilinis kung puro basura ang mga nakakabit sa kaniyang waterways.

in fairness, improving ang pasig ngayon. dati aso o bangkay ang lumulutang, ngayon daga na lang. dati itim, ngayon brown na lang.

kelangan talaga ng mass relocation para luminis ang pasig river.. yang mga nakatira naman kasi sa mga estero ang primary source ng basura ng pasig..

:applause:The Pasig Ferry thing looks very promising! The government is doing a great job. Kudos to the photographers, too! (pau, dudz and richard)

good to see some developments.....peo pamsamantala lng ang kagandahan na yan, kahit anung paganda dyan kng hindi aalisin ang mga shanties sa river side at mga estero BULOK parin tignan!!!

cguro imbes na mag gagastos para sa mga lights etc.... gawa na lng ng MGA relocation houses for those shanties kc khit walang magagarang light post kng wala NG mga barong barong, GANDA TIGNAN!

she'll be very happy to see PUP now... pinapaganda na sya kasi magiging open na siya sa traffic (just like UPdiliman) i'll take pix when the developments are done... siguro by next month.. :)


----------------------------------------------
galing talaga ni sir dudz... ganda na ng pasig.. (except for some basura sa river)... the linear parks are perfect... sana maging kupletong stretch na talaga yan... buong river...

sana rin malinisan na talaga nila yung river... (lalong lalo na ung mga minor rivers na connected sa pasig... like the san juan river w/c is ubod ng dirty... yung sa gilid ng UERM )

Looking forward to the pictures sa may PUP vicinity. Thanks, man. Maybe when we visit the Philippines a few years from now, God willing, we'll be able to enjoy the Pasig River cruises and ferry rides then stop by PUP. :)

in fairness, improving ang pasig ngayon. dati aso o bangkay ang lumulutang, ngayon daga na lang. dati itim, ngayon brown na lang.

Well, something is better than nothing nga. :lol: :lol:

the pinoys around pasig has to do their bit as well

Cross-posting @PauP1's pictures from the Makati and Mandaluyong threads:

taken last Friday...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00728.jpg

a closer shot of the men on the riverbanks catching fish... and they are big fish!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00727.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00726.jpg

that yellow boat used to be pulled from one side of the river to the other to cross people to the other side... but now they are motorized..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00717.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00711.jpg

contrast of Makati on the left banks while Mandaluyong on the right...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/Rockwell.jpg

Mandaluyong side:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00721.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00721_1.jpg

an "amphitheathre" as the local barangay is calling it... Mandaluyong has made the whole stretch of the riverbank into this bricked walkway and park..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00730.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00718.jpg

Happy happy yung nag jojogging.

Isn't that colorful neighborhood a Gawad Kalinga project?

Do you believe those brick path-park was once a small road? My aunt live in one of those houses...

yung color ng river similar sa seine river sa paris. i was there last summer. wala nga lang basura. kakainis. maganda sana ang pasig. lol. at least theyre doing something now.

^^ The thing with riding through the River Seine, aside from it not having a foul smell, is that you see beautiful structures along the way like the Notre Dame de Paris, the beautiful bridges, the buildings, etc.

I hope they will consider relocating informal settlers along pasig river for the development of ferry lines and making pasig river a tourist attraction someday.

Happy happy yung nag jojogging.

Isn't that colorful neighborhood a Gawad Kalinga project?

nope they are not... they are the local residents of Mandaluyong...

I've been looking for this thread.. nice that it was found.. anyways here's a couple more..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00722.jpg

they're dredging this part of the river..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00715.jpg

This "revitalizing" of the Pasig River does not actually involve flushing out all the garbage of the river, does it? I have a feeling it's all about the ferry system, which could possibly add even more pollution to the river. I think they're going the wrong way about this.

^^ Why, can't they do it simultaneously? The more money is generated from the ferries plying the river and the more exposure that the Pasig gets from the public due to river transportation, the greater interest is generated to make it cleaner. The momentum will build up to generate more interest in keeping it clean.

This "revitalizing" of the Pasig River does not actually involve flushing out all the garbage of the river, does it? I have a feeling it's all about the ferry system, which could possibly add even more pollution to the river. I think they're going the wrong way about this.

i dont think the ferries would actually add to pollution... if i'm not mistaken, the ferries are enclosed (so no one can throw garbage in the river..) and i dont think ferries dump oil in the river... i'm not sure though.


and yes., the revitalization plan for pasig includes the 'cleaning' part... there were articles posted about that... just browse the pages.,.. :) although i hope they dont just clean the pasig... sana ung mga minor rivers din... un ang sobrang dudumi eh...

nope they are not... they are the local residents of Mandaluyong...



they're dredging this part of the river..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00715.jpg


Di ba yung billboard structure sa background ay ang "mother of all billboards" sa bandang Guadalupe. Mukhang nakaligtas siya dun sa mga pinagbabaklas ng MMDA at DPWH.... hhhmmmmm...:ohno:

^^ Mother nga eh, eh di pag tinanggal yun patay din yung mga anak anak na billboards! :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/tigidig14/rizal/IMG_5221.jpg

kuha sa tuktuk ng intramuros

actually mukhang huminto na ang MMDA sa pagbabaklas ng billboards... I think it was because of a TRO.... pero nagbalikan na ang mga billboards ngayon... hehehe.. actually.. isang malaking Belo advertisement ang nandun sa mother ngayon.. hehehe....

^^Napansin ko rin nga sa TV, if anyone dies again from another hurling billboard, it just proves our fellowmen's resistance to doing what needs to be done.

while walking at the PUP Linear Park (along the river)
http://i14.tinypic.com/40e7arl.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/4d4scoi.jpg
(pandacan oil depot.,.. and makati sa likod..)



http://i14.tinypic.com/2ue5gfm.jpg
(my fave shot... look.. no basura!)



the PUP ferry station (front view)
http://i11.tinypic.com/2qch11y.jpg
http://i17.tinypic.com/49kw9zq.jpg



ferry station.. (side view-kanan)
http://i10.tinypic.com/495zg51.jpg



platform.. (if thats how you call it..?)
http://i13.tinypic.com/3yxk67c.jpg

-------------------------------------------------------

and while walking at the linear park... to my surprise.... lech!!! after searching for these... its here... in my face!!!!

the FERRIES!!!
(well, i think these are it... )
i think jamaicus said he saw these on TV... can anyone confirm kung eto na talaga ung mga ferry?

these were parked near PUP... they actually look long... (ata.?)

http://i12.tinypic.com/4i5tqbd.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/47borb5.jpg

^^ Interesting shots, Richard24. Your "fave" shot (3rd photo) is a pleasant surprise --- Pasig on that side looks clean, as there's hardly any garbage at sight.

The problem with that ferry system is that it's another "on a surface" project. The river stinks and they think that it's all right to continue with the project. Again, they need to do the following first:

1. Massive cleaning of the Pasig River.
2. Relocate the squatters/ illegal settlers living on the side of the river.
3. Ban all factories emitting fumes, chemicals onto the river.
4. Have a 24 hour roving team to watch the river.
5. Educate the people (private/ public schools in all levels) about the importance of protecting the Pasig River.
6. Have media involved through informative news.

that is very true^^ Pasig river is just a giant eye sore . It's a shame Pinoys don't have the collective will to rehabilitate it 100%. It could be such a beautiful river. The authorities need to start that's why they're the leaders , the common folks are too ignorant about such issues.

^^ Interesting shots, Richard24. Your "fave" shot (3rd photo) is a pleasant surprise --- Pasig on that side looks clean, as there's hardly any garbage at sight.

The problem with that ferry system is that it's another "on a surface" project. The river stinks and they think that it's all right to continue with the project. Again, they need to do the following first:

1. Massive cleaning of the Pasig River.
2. Relocate the squatters/ illegal settlers living on the side of the river.
3. Ban all factories emitting fumes, chemicals onto the river.
4. Have a 24 hour roving team to watch the river.
5. Educate the people (private/ public schools in all levels) about the importance of protecting the Pasig River.
6. Have media involved through informative news.

onga... importanteng matanggal lahat ng informal settlers not just along the pasig river but along all rivers connected to it....

do they still have operational factories along pasig? those really should be the first ones to go...

onga... importanteng matanggal lahat ng informal settlers not just along the pasig river but along all rivers connected to it....

do they still have operational factories along pasig? those really should be the first ones to go...

To start with, nest election sana iboto ng mga mamamayan ang mga karapat dapat na mga pulitiko :lol:

http://i14.tinypic.com/2ue5gfm.jpg
(my fave shot... look.. no basura!)

the FERRIES!!!
(well, i think these are it... )
i think jamaicus said he saw these on TV... can anyone confirm kung eto na talaga ung mga ferry?

these were parked near PUP... they actually look long... (ata.?)

http://i12.tinypic.com/4i5tqbd.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/47borb5.jpg

Ang galing! :)

onga... importanteng matanggal lahat ng informal settlers not just along the pasig river but along all rivers connected to it....

do they still have operational factories along pasig? those really should be the first ones to go...

In early times, this used to be the houses you will see beside the Pasig River.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/PPCPIManilaPasigRiverHouses910s.jpg

I wonder if we can get our Pasig River to this point: (Just like in today's banner). I don't think it's farfetch if there is political will and common weal.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/Venice.jpg

^ my dream for Pasig river is to have it look like the river Seine in Paris.
http://web.mit.edu/suraj/www/images/river%20seine.JPG

^^ Ahhh yeah.... if only. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00916.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00904.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Makati/DSC00900.jpg

^^ Amidst the glow of the lights, the river looks nice in the night time, too, if it weren't as smelly as I have read here.

actually it's not smelly... I've been walking around that place for a number of times since my girlfriend lives nearby and I have smelled the river that badly.... specially now that the river level is high and the water moves a bit strongly...

^^ That is good to know. It actually looks romantic.

paano kaya yan i treat....should we throw one tanker of chlorine in the river.....patay lahat ng taong naliligo diyan.....

:lol:

Oo nga...patay na rin lahat ng isda, waterlily at kangkong. Mabuti rin at mawawala na ang mga pesteng buwaya. Minsan kasi may mga buwaya sa Pasig... noon nang nagtrabaho ako sa Pilipinas, office namin sa tabi ng Pasig. May nahuling buwaya ang sekyu namin. Galing sa Pasig daw sabi nila.. pinatay at niluto.

Oo nga...patay na rin lahat ng isda, waterlily at kangkong. Mabuti rin at mawawala na ang mga pesteng buwaya. Minsan kasi may mga buwaya sa Pasig... noon nang nagtrabaho ako sa Pilipinas, office namin sa tabi ng Pasig. May nahuling buwaya ang sekyu namin. Galing sa Pasig daw sabi nila.. pinatay at niluto.

seriously....paano kaya maglinis ng river.....ang naiisip ko lang na way is to splash a huge tanker of chlorine in the whole river

The best way to clean a river is just to let it return to its natural state. It's a pretty long process timewise, but this is the best way for the flora and fauna that occurs naturally in a river to re-establish itself. There's no overnight solution.

A lesson can be learned from New York's own Hudson River. In the 1960s and 1970s, many of the US rivers were over-polluted, sometimes moreso than the Pasig, believe it or not. A river in Cincinnati actually caught on fire because of all the chemicals in it. The Hudson River in NY was also very polluted with plenty of industrial waste going into to it. Early in the 20th century you could get oysters from the river, but by the late 20th century, the species of oysters that grew in it was extinct.

In 1972 I think, the US government passed the Clean Water Act and the Water Pollution Act that severely regulated the kind of stuff that could go to the rivers. Waste still goes in to the Hudson but human waste is now treated. 30 years later, it's actually safe enough to swim in the Hudson (though if you ask me, I wouldn't do it). All it takes is strong government regulation and corporate and citizen responsibility. Waste needs to be treated and no raw sewage must go in the river. No industrial plants must be allowed to dump their wastes into the river. And in a decade or so, the river will start to go to normal.

well actually guys, the river looks wonderful at night. my office was formerly located at one of the new buildings at the back of robinson's pioneer, tha't just beside guadalupe bridge.. the view there at night is just breathtaking.. especially if you'll look at the east side, yung papuntang pasig.. just don't bother looking outside with the sun present in the sky.. kakadepress..

feeling ko lang ganun din sa rockwell pics sa taas.. hehehehehe...

anak ng pasig talaga oh....


:ohno:

Walang nanag buwaya sa Pasig River!!! Sa Senado at Kongreso na lang

No really the sekyus at my work caught a buwaya from the Pasig. Actually it kind of makes sense because at that time I was working at Malacanang and the sekyus were PSG. This was during the Erap administration so there were definitely buwaya in Malacanang. Although the people I worked with were career bureaucrats who are still working with the current administration. Believe it or not, there are still good, honest people in the public service, who have hope for the country.

Our department was at Malacanang Park at first (across Pasig River form Malacanang) before we were moved to the executive building, Mabini Hall. The PSG who are legitimate members of the AFP knew how to kill a snake and barbecue it.

No really the sekyus at my work caught a buwaya from the Pasig. Actually it kind of makes sense because at that time I was working at Malacanang and the sekyus were PSG. This was during the Erap administration so there were definitely buwaya in Malacanang. Although the people I worked with were career bureaucrats who are still working with the current administration. Believe it or not, there are still good, honest people in the public service, who have hope for the country.

Our department was at Malacanang Park at first (across Pasig River form Malacanang) before we were moved to the executive building, Mabini Hall. The PSG who are legitimate members of the AFP knew how to kill a snake and barbecue it.


Hi, It was a joke but , there are indeed crocodile lurking in Pasig River.

I know that becaue of our proximity to Pasig River. BTW Do you know Miss Letty Manuel and Col. Jonathan Ponce ???? They are my classmates who also works inside Malacanang>>>

To tell you the truth, I know nobody there now. This was several years ago and I haven't spoken with anybody there (I was just a student doing an internship) in a while.

Ok! The water in Pasig is still murky but after some days of rain medyo naging brown

Oo nga...patay na rin lahat ng isda, waterlily at kangkong. Mabuti rin at mawawala na ang mga pesteng buwaya. Minsan kasi may mga buwaya sa Pasig... noon nang nagtrabaho ako sa Pilipinas, office namin sa tabi ng Pasig. May nahuling buwaya ang sekyu namin. Galing sa Pasig daw sabi nila.. pinatay at niluto.

wow nagtrabaho ka pala sa pnas, ilang taon din mike

sang taon lang. 2000.

well.. I think the way to clean the Pasig is simply to clear up the creeks that lead to it....

Richard, awesome pictures sa PUP ferry station. It's also nice to preview the ferry boats!!! Exciting. Seriously, we need a serious plan to clean up Pasig River. The ABD has provided financial support, it is now the responsilbility of the local and national governments in collaboation with the private sector and the common tao to zero in and not to let up. The battle has not been won. The concerted efforts of the stakeholders will effect the much needed change. God, please help the government and our people. Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!!!!!!!!!!

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig5.jpg
The Feati-owned building adjoining the MacArthur Bridge is the MacArthur Annex of the Manila High School circa 1960s - 1970s. We usually walked from Mehan Garden where the Main Annex of MHS is located to this MacArthur Annex, sometimes we just hitched a ride in B12 buses which previously plyed SanMarcelino-\e Echague - Ayala - San Marcelino -Pandacan-San Andres route.



http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig80.jpg
view of Estero looking towards north or towards Ongpin area.



http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig81.jpg
looking towards south or towards the Pasig river.



http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig90.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig92.jpg
MacArthur Bridge




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig94.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig95.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig96.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig97.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig98.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig99.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig100.jpg



http://[IMG]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig101.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig102.jpg



Other photos of Manila the city of my birth, I posted in the Thread " Manila My Manila "

^^ Thanks for updating this thread with these recent photos of Pasig River @Emesber.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/pasig90.jpg


Kitang-kita na derecho yung sewer sa Pasig river.

^^ Thanks for the updating this thread with these recent photos of Pasig River @Emesber

you are welcome my dear, I will update this Thread everytime I go back to Manila.

The Pasig River from Ayala bridge to MacArthur bridge reminded me of my childhood days where my barkada and me usually walked to cinema in Quiapo and Sta Cruz by way of the 2 bridges. sometimes we even swim in the River.:)

^^ Ayaw mo na ng Emesber na name? I feel TheAvenger is so impersonal while Jibrael is so contrived.

^^ Ayaw mo na ng Emesber na name? I feel TheAvenger is so impersonal while Jibrael is so contrived.

emesber is too personal to use in public forum, Jibrael is the arab equivalent name for Gabriel, the Angel that gave my first name .... " God be with you " :)

those pics are perfect examples of urban decay.

the PUP-sta.mesa ferry station as of: January 9, 2007

http://i11.tinypic.com/3y820zb.jpg

great pictures theavenger...too bad the pasig river is not shining in all its glory with its current situation. I wonder why the citizens can't realize the importance of reviving the river....

well.. those are pumping stations that lead from the creeks to Pasig... that's why that part is dirtier... I think before the water is released to Pasig.. the water is filtered a bit.... i may be mistaken though

^ Some of those operate their waste water treatment machines just when they are being inspected by DENR. When they are not, they don't treat the waste water to cut on costs. :ohno:

san banda sa PUP yan?? sa may sampaguita?

the PUP-sta.mesa ferry station as of: January 9, 2007

http://i11.tinypic.com/3y820zb.jpg

san banda sa PUP yan?? sa may sampaguita?

likod ng south wing... bandang dulo ng east wing.

kung nasa lab high ung isang dulo ng PUP... eto ung nasa kabilang dulo. :)

ahhh i see.. salamat

likod ng south wing... bandang dulo ng east wing.

kung nasa lab high ung isang dulo ng PUP... eto ung nasa kabilang dulo. :)

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/522cbb2d201337a46a7094f52a255e8c1.jpg
Feati University at the north bank of Pasig River beside the west side of MacArthur Bridge.


http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/ca2993f37dcc0ca394dd7e22377ac7071.jpg
The refurbished building of Feati, adjoining the MacArthur Bridge.

These are pictures from the Singapore thread. How I wish the Philippines can achieve this and Pasig River will start looking like this.



http://i3.tinypic.com/316luus.jpg

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http://i16.tinypic.com/35krb4i.jpg

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http://i10.tinypic.com/2l94ld0.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/2ep0plg.jpg

http://i12.tinypic.com/2v2jce9.jpg

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http://i12.tinypic.com/3zkmuj5.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/2prutlt.jpg

http://i16.tinypic.com/2z8dzkj.jpg

yeah I wish it will soon... Singapore River used to be a dying river as well until Lee Kuan Yew did measures to clean it up and had to swim in it to prove it went clean..

teka, akala ko last month magsastart ang operations ng ferry? the PUP station's structure seems complete... but its still a bare structure. wala pang laman.

nakaka amaze naman ung pics ng singapore. :)

yeah I wish it will soon... Singapore River used to be a dying river as well until Lee Kuan Yew did measures to clean it up and had to swim in it to prove it went clean..

From what i have read in old books, I think the clean-up began during the late 70s. Even Lee himself was worried because many have been skeptical of its success... but look at Singapore today!!! Political will talaga ang kailangan...

Now, even during the Marcos years, efforts to clean Pasig already began pero, hanggang ngayon, God, walang nangyare...

well.. kasi naging ningas-kugon sila... actually sayang nga yung Piso Sa Pasig project ni Ming Ramos..