The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), together with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), on Monday reiterated the appeal for public support to rehabilitate the Pasig River.
“Taking care of the river is a shared responsibility,” Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said in a statement, as officials of the DENR and the PRRC gave some 150 students a tour at the historic Pasig River.
Cimatu urges the public, particularly the youth, to become “watchdogs” and encourages them to remind the government of its responsibility in restoring the river back to its glory.
The Pasig River connects the Manila Bay and the Laguna de Bay, the country’s largest freshwater lake.
The government, through the DENR and the PRRC, is continuously working to rehabilitate the Pasig River for it to recover from decades of abuse.
“I welcome the public’s guidance and a watchful eye in ensuring what is promised is delivered,” Cimatu said.
Leading the Pasig River Ecological Tour, organized by the DENR and the PRRC, including the DENR’s Strategic Communication and Initiatives Service, was part of an information campaign ordered by Cimatu to raise public awareness on the importance of reviving Pasig River.
Students from various public and private high schools in Metro Manila participated in the guided tour with a lecture onboard a ferryboat traversing Pasig River.
The students were taught about the historical importance of the river. They were also introduced to the DENR’s new advocacy campaign called “Tayo ang Kalikasan.”
The tour started from the Plaza Mexico Ferry Station up to Guadalupe ferry station in Makati City.
Environment Undersecretary Maria Paz Luna was joined by PRRC officials, led by Finance Director Helen Quilillan, and Advocacy and Tourism Division Chief George Oliver de la Rama.
The DENR, through its Environmental Management Bureau, has been providing technical support for the Pasig River rehabilitation.
As part of the intensified government efforts, de la Rama said the PRRC would further develop the river through continuous cleanup activities with its partners.
De la Rama added that the commission also plans to develop a multimodal transport system that will convert Pasig River as a viable means of transport, recreation and tourism.
According to Cimatu, the government’s rehabilitation efforts cannot succeed without broader public support.
He said that it was also important for the government to instill environmentalism into the minds of the youth.
“The DENR is responsible for communicating how important the river is to the youth, who have the power to change our relationship with the river,” he added.
Cimatu, likewise, reminded them that “there are times citizens, especially those living in cities, disassociate themselves from the environment.” For her part, Luna, an environmental lawyer, said: “Environmentalism is not a battle you can win; it is a chore you have to do daily, like brushing your teeth, sweeping the yard.”
“It does not end, you have to enjoy it,” she added partly in Filipino.
Luna then called on the students to ask their families to patronage the Pasig River Ferry. “Let’s make the river viral,” she said.