Currently hogging the headlines is the brewing opposition to the Pasig River Expressway Project, which intends to provide a better access of the long neglected east-west corridor of Metro Manila and Rizal. On one side of the table is the proponent, the San Miguel conglomerate, which has lately been undertaking milestone projects to include Metro Rail Transit 7, Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX), Star Toll and the soon to take shape Bulacan International Airport. On the other side of the table are several environmental and transport mobility groups that have bonded together to oppose this project. Their concern basically covers two points: Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) will environmentally damage the already almost lifeless Pasig River and that the project will not really solve the lack of road corridors that it intends to address and will in fact exacerbate the situation.
To be fair, conflicts regarding the encroachment of infrastructural projects that should lead to progress on the preservation of the environment are a normal occurrence. The gas pipelines that cut through pristine reservations of land in the western hemisphere are good examples of this. The mangrove reserve south of the Manila Bay has prevented much of the reclamation while other areas north of that continue to be reclaimed. It is indeed true that environmental concerns are primordial before pursuits toward progress take place.
But the PAREX Project can be viewed in a different light. I would like to think that this project can marry both the need to protect the environment while hanging on to its intent to provide a better avenue for that east-west traffic that, we also need to admit, we sorely need. There is such a thing as sustainable infrastructure, which refers to the design and building in ways that do not diminish the social, economic and ecological processes required to maintain human equity, diversity, and the functionality of natural systems. If the PAREX Project has not been developed along such lines, then this is something that, at this point of its development, can still be achieved.
And we have the proper ingredients among our protagonists to make this happen. On the one hand, you have a Ramon Ang who, based on his previous engagements, has never had a question on environmental concerns despite the fact that his interests cover such areas as power and mining. On the environmentalists’ side are all the respected academics and environmentalists who share a sincere intent to protect our natural resources. What may be needed is a sincere dialogue between these two parties. Both mean well and I am sure both can work together, given the chance.
For one, the way the proposal was presented, there are already safeguards in place and efforts to be taken to protect the environment. Pasig River will be dredged in a way that even past government administrations have not embarked on. Second, public transport via a BRT will ensure the reduction on harmful GCG emissions emanating from individual carbon fed vehicles. These should be a good start. The environmentalists can then enlist the support of RSA to ensure the sustainability of the river beyond the dredging—something similar to what has been done in Seoul, South Korea. The BRT can be required to be all electric or even run on waste to energy, which is now available with buses made from Sweden. Bike lanes and walkways beneath and within the PAREX roadways can be tweaked similar to the New York “Highline” where above ground gardens can be maintained.
Environmentalists working together with capitalists can only ensure success in providing the need of a growing city while protecting the environment, which we sorely need. An honest and sincere dialogue is needed. And the PAREX Project can even be the start of a good collaboration between these parties, even beyond PAREX. The national government can initiate this. If not, other agencies like MMDA and DOTr or the Metro Manila cities where the PAREX alignment is located can do it. The important thing at this point is to try to work this out and exhaust all means to come to an agreement. With this, we can only move forward for the better.
The author maybe reached via: thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu