TO OUR PARTNERS IN THE BATTLE FOR MANILA BAY, DENR OFFICIALS, HONORABLE GUESTS, REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE MEDIA, AND NGO’S, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ISANG MAKALIKASANG UMAGA SA ATING LAHAT.

WHEN THE PRESIDENT DIRECTED THE DENR TO LEAD THE CONDUCT OF CLEAN-UP AND REHABILITATION OF BORACAY ISLAND IN 2017, THERE WERE SOME WHO EXPRESSED THEIR DOUBTS ON ITS SUCCESS. SOME SAID THAT THE TASK IS TOO AMBITIOUS AND IT CANNOT BE DONE. OTHERS SAID THAT THE 6-MONTH CLOSURE PERIOD WILL NOT BE ENOUGH TO FIX THE RECURRENT ISSUES OF THE ISLAND AND RESTORE IT TO ITS PRISTINE CONDITION.

WE HAVE PROVEN THEM WRONG. THROUGH THE POLITICAL WILL OF THE HEADS OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND THE FULL SUPPORT OF THE LGUS AND ALL THE OTHER CONCERNED STAKEHOLDERS, WE HAVE MADE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. BORACAY HAS BEEN LAUDED BY LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA FOR ITS SUCCESSFUL REHABILITATION. OUR EFFORTS ON THE ISLAND STILL CONTINUES IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN AND SUSTAIN OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

NOW, WE ARE ONCE AGAIN TASKED WITH A NEW AND MORE DIFFICULT CHALLENGE OF CLEANING AND REHABILITATING THE MANILA BAY. LAST JANUARY 26, 2019, WE LAUNCHED THE CLEAN-UP AND REHABILITATION CAMPAIGN OF MANILA BAY. TOGETHER, WE MARCHED ALONG ROXAS BOULEVARD EXPRESSING OUR UNRELENTING COMMITMENT AND PLEDGED SUPPORT TO THIS CAUSE. THE TASK BEFORE US SEEMS GARGANTUAN IN SIZE AND ENCOMPASSES A VARIETY OF RECURRENT ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO RESOLVE IN ORDER TO REACH OUR GOAL.

ONE OF THE PRIMARY ISSUES THAT WE MUST ADDRESS IMMEDIATELY IS OUR PROBLEM WITH SOLID WASTE.

METRO MANILA, WITH A TOTAL ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 12.8 MILLION, HAS A TARGET ESTIMATED WASTE GENERATION OF 58,112.31 CUBIC METERS FOR 2019. BY THE FIRST QUARTER, WE HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED 34,574.77 CUBIC METERS OR 59.45% OF THE TOTAL. THE 2019 SECOND QUARTER ESTIMATED WASTE GENERATION SUMS UP TO 32.221.17 CUBIC METERS. THIS AMOUNTS TO ANOTHER 55.45% OF THE TOTAL. THE TARGET ESTIMATED WASTE GENERATION BASELINE FOR 2019 OF 58,112.31 CUBIC METERS HAS ALREADY BEEN SURPASSED.

PUBLISHED ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES RANK THE PHILIPPINES AS THE 3RD HIGHEST SOURCE OF OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION WITH AN ESTIMATED 2.7 MILLION METRIC TONS OF PLASTIC WASTE AND HALF A MILLION METRIC TONS OF PLASTIC WASTE LEAKAGE ANNUALLY, NEXT TO MUCH BIGGER POPULATED COUNTRIES LIKE CHINA AND INDONESIA.

APART FROM THESE FIGURES, THERE ARE SOME GAPS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SOLID WASTES IN THE COUNTRY, WHICH INCLUDE:
1. THE INEFFICIENT AND OUTDATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS;
2. THE NEED TO DEVELOP AND ENHANCE THE POLICY APPROACHES FOR PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT; AND
3. THE NEED FOR A HOLISTIC OR BALANCED POLICY INTERVENTION.

ADDRESSING THE LARGE-SCALE CHALLENGE OF REHABILITATING THE MANILA BAY REQUIRES ATTENTION AND PROBING FROM A MICRO-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE. HENCE, THE DENR PROGRAMS FOR MANILA BAY REHABILITATION ARE STRATEGICALLY DESIGNED TO ATTEND TO THE ISSUES STEMMING FROM THE IDENTIFIED SOURCES OF WASTES. SOME OF THESE ACTIONS INCLUDE:

1. ENJOINING LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATION
WE SOUGHT THE COMMITMENT OF THE LOCAL CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF THE CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES AROUND MANILA BAY TO RESPOND TO OUR CALL. MEMORANDA OF AGREEMENT WERE SIGNED BETWEEN THE DENR AND THE CONCERNED LGUS TO DO THEIR SHARE IN THE REHABILITATION OF MANILA BAY BY CLEANING THE RIVERS AND ESTEROS WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTIONS.

ACCORDING TO THE 2019 3RD QUARTER DILG REPORT ON THE COMPLIANCE OF LGUS, OUT OF 178 LGUS IN NCR, REGION III AND REGION IV-A, 140 HAVE AN APPROVED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN. 133 OF THE 178 CONDUCT SEGREGATION AT SOURCE WHILE 156 OF 178 SEGREGATED COLLECTION OF WASTES. 144 LGUS HAVE A MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY AND 168 DISPOSE RESIDUAL WASTES IN APPROVED DISPOSAL SITE.

IN ADDITION, THE DILG ISSUED MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR 2019-09 DIRECTING LGUS TO CONDUCT WEEKLY CLEAN-UP DRIVES IN SUPPORT OF THE MANILA BAY CLEAN-UP, REHABILITATION AND PRESERVATION PROGRAM.

2. INSPECTION OF DISCHARGES FROM COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS
AS OF NOVEMBER 21, 2019, A TOTAL OF 13,212 COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS HAVE BEEN INSPECTED. OUT OF THESE, 2,684 ESTABLISHMENTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED WITH NOTICE OF VIOLATION AND 1,910 MORE WILL BE ISSUED. 107 ESTABLISHMENTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED WITH CEASE-AND-DESIST ORDERS AND 2 HAVE BEEN ISSUED WITH EX-PARTE ORDERS. THE DENR HAS ALSO FILED CASES AGAINST 2 ESTABLISHMENTS AT THE POLLUTION ADJUDICATION BOARD.

3. MASSIVE CLEAN UP ACTIVITIES
IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE WATER QUALITY OF MANILA BAY AND THE WATER BODIES DRAINING TO IT, A TOTAL BUDGET OF PHP 644,250,000.00 HAVE BEEN ALLOTTED FOR THE CLEAN-UP OF ESTEROS. SEVERAL CLEAN-UP ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED IN NCR, REGION III AND REGION IV-A. A TOTAL OF 18,695,256.29 KILOGRAMS OF GARBAGE HAS BEEN COLLECTED FROM THESE ACTIVITIES. THE DECLOGGING OF DRAINAGE LATERALS IS ONGOING AND HAS ACCUMULATED 749 CUBIC METERS OF GARBAGE IN 40 AREAS COVERING A LENGTH OF 29,204 METERS.

4. REGULAR WATER QUALITY MONITORING
WE ARE ALSO MONITORING THE FECAL COLIFORM OF THE DIFFERENT WATER BODIES IN NCR, REGION III AND REGION IV-A. A TOTAL BUDGET OF PHP 104,596,000.00 WAS ALLOCATED FOR THE WATER QUALITY MONITORING. RECENT WATER SAMPLING RESULTS SHOW THE GENERAL DECREASE OF FECAL COLIFORM IN THE BATHING AREAS IN MANILA BAY. THE RECORDED 7.9 MILLION FECAL COLIFORM COUNT AT THE PADRE FAURA DRAINAGE OUTFALL IN JANUARY 2019 HAS NOW DECREASED TO 920,000 IN OCTOBER 2019. FECAL COLIFORM COUNT OF 110 MILLION RECORDED IN JANUARY 2019 HAS BEEN REDUCED TO 54 MILLION AT THE MANILA YACHT OUTFALL OF ESTERO FORT SAN ANTONIO DE ABAD.

WE ADMIT THAT THESE LEVELS ARE STILL WAY BEYOND THE PRESCRIBED STANDARDS THAT WE ARE AIMING FOR. NONETHELESS, IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AT LEAST, THERE HAVE BEEN DRASTIC CHANGES THAT WE CAN IMMEDIATELY OBSERVE.

5. ENSURING SEWER CONNECTION AND SEWER LINES REHABILITATION
SEWER CONNECTION OF ESTABLISHMENTS WITHIN THE BAYWALK AREA WILL PREVENT DIRECT DISCHARGE OF WASTES TO THE THREE MAJOR WATERWAYS THAT DISCHARGE DIRECTLY TO MANILA BAY. OUT OF THE 2,574 ESTABLISHMENTS WITHIN THE BAYWALK AREA, 2,216 HAVE SEWER CONNECTION, 87 HAVE APPLIED FOR CONNECTION, AND 271 REMAIN UNCONNECTED. WE ARE TARGETTING THAT ALL OF THESE ESTABLISHMENTS WILL BE CONNECTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AN INTERCEPT LINE PROJECT BY MAYNILAD IS ALSO UNDERWAY THAT WILL CAPTURE THE WASTEWATER COMING FROM HOUSEHOLDS THAT DIRECTLY EXPEL WASTE TO ESTERO DE SAN ANTONIO DE ABAD.

6. RELOCATION OF INFORMAL SETTLER FAMILIES (ISFs) ALONG CREEKS AND OTHER WATERWAYS
WE HAVE STARTED RECORDING AND MAPPING OF ISFs FOR THEIR RESETTLEMENT AND RELOCATION. 55,059 ISFS HAVE BEEN SO FAR RECORDED IN NCR, REGION III AND REGION IV-A. I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT ALL 61 IDENTIFIED ISFS IN ESTERO DE SAN ANTONIO DE ABAD HAVE BEEN RELOCATED IN A SITE IN TALA, CALOOCAN CITY. WE HAVE ALSO DELINEATED LEGAL EASEMENTS IN 32 WATERWAYS COVERING 549.279 KILOMETERS IN NCR AND REGION III. MEANWHILE, DELINEATION IS CURRENTLY ONGOING IN REGION IV-A.

7. SIGNING OF GUIDELINES GOVERNING WASTE-TO-ENERGY (WTE) FACILITIES
I RECENTLY SIGNED DENR ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2019-21 ON THE GUIDELINES GOVERNING WASTE-TO-ENERGY (WTE) FACILITIES FOR THE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES. THE DAO PROVIDES GUIDELINES ON THE EVALUATION, ESTABLISHMENT, OPERATION AND DECOMMISSIONING OF WASTE-TO-ENERGY FACILITIES. WITH THESE GUIDELINES, WE HOPE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE IN A PILOT BASIS ONE SOLUTION TO THE WASTE PROBLEM USING WASTE-TO-ENERGY METHOD WITHOUT VIOLATING THE CLEAN AIR ACT.

8. DEPLOYMENT OF ESTERO RANGERS
I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT EARLIER THIS MONTH, WE HAVE DESIGNATED AND DEPLOYED 1,142 ESTERO RANGERS IN OVER 700 BARANGAYS IN THE METROPOLIS. THEY ARE TASKED TO CLEAN THE ESTEROS AND TRIBUTARIES DRAINING TO MANILA BAY AND TO PREVENT INDISCRIMINATE DUMPING OF GARBAGE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ESTEROS. THESE RANGERS WILL SERVE AS THE DEPARTMENT’S COMMUNICATION LINK TO THE IDENTIFIED PLACES WHERE WASTES ARE GENERATED, IN THE HOPES THAT THEY BRING CULTURAL AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGES TO THE WAYS THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES MANAGE THEIR SOLID WASTES.

MOVING FORWARD, THE BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT FOR THE MANILA BAYWALK IS ON ITS EARLY STAGES. THE TOTAL BUDGET OF PHP 400 MILLION ALLOCATED FOR THE SAID PROJECT WAS ALREADY TRANSFERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS (DPWH), WHICH WILL BE THE LEAD AGENCY FOR THE SAID PROJECT.
MOREVER, A REVISED MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT OF LGUs WITH PRIVATE GARBAGE HAULERS IS BEING PROPOSED, WHICH OUTLINES THE SPECIFIC WASTES TO BE COLLECTED AND PRESCRIBES SPECIFIC COLLECTION POINTS FOR THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WASTES GENERATED IN THE LOCALITY. SAID TEMPLATE WAS ALREADY PRESENTED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OF THE CITIES OF QUEZON, VALENZUELA, MALABON AND CALOOCAN.

WE ARE NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF A GARBAGE CRISIS. IF WE CONTINUE TO ACT ONLY FOR OUR INDEPENDENT INTERESTS, CONTINUE TO SPOIL OUR WATER BODIES AND FAIL TO RESPONSIBLY MANAGE OUR WASTES, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN OUR EFFORTS ON THIS CAMPAIGN. WE AND THE FOLLOWING GENERATIONS, WILL ALL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES IF WE DO NOT CHANGE THE WAY WE BEHAVE AS AN ORGANIZATION AND AS INDIVIDUALS.

OUR EXPERIENCE TAUGHT US THE IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL WILL TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN IN BORACAY. POLITICAL WILL ENABLED US TO MOBILIZE SUPPORTERS, VOLUNTEERS, AND ORDINARY FILIPINO CITIZENS TO RALLY TO OUR CAUSE. WE WILL APPLY THE LESSONS WE LEARNED FROM THE REHABILITATION OF BORACAY TO THE REHABILITATION OF MANILA BAY.

HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THAT POLITICAL WILL BY ITSELF WILL NOT BE ENOUGH. WITHOUT THE HELP AND SUPPORT OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS ENDEAVOR, THIS BATTLE WILL NOT BE WON.

I KNOW THAT SOME STILL HARBOR DOUBTS AND CRITICISMS ON THE APPROACHES BEING ADOPTED IN THE REHABILITATION OF MANILA BAY. I TELL THEM THAT RATHER THAN VOICING CRITICISMS WITHOUT PROVIDING COMPLETE AND CONCRETE SOLUTIONS, LET US INSTEAD TRANSFORM THESE SENTIMENTS INTO POSITIVE ACTION THAT CAN SPUR POSITIVE CHANGE TO OUR ENVIRONMENT.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE WELFARE OF BOTH THE EXISTING AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. OUR EARTH IS SLOWLY BEING DESTROYED BY OUR WAYS, AND WE MUST TAKE NECESSARY ACTIONS TO CORRECT THEM.

OUR VERY EXISTENCE IS BEING THREATENED, BUT WE STILL HAVE TIME. LET US BE THE HERO GENERATION THAT WORKED DEDICATEDLY TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT.

TOGETHER, I KNOW WE CAN WIN THIS BATTLE.

MULI, ISANG MAKALIKASANG UMAGA SA ATING LAHAT.###