gabe ulanday,
Recently, a massive drive to rehabilitate the iconic Manila Bay was organized by an inter-agency task force composed of different government agencies and volunteers. This comes after the success of a similar drive to rehabilitate and clean the Boracay Beach last year.
The initial phase of the rehabilitation project is seen as a success. On January 27, 2019, around 5,000 people descended on various parts of Manila Bay to conduct trash collection and other clean-up activities. In the days from then until now, smaller, similar clean-up activities were also held.
It is about time that the government acted to clean Manila Bay. Thousands of families live by the bay enduring the horrible pollution which causes illness.
However, regarding the rehabilitation and clean-ups, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has stated that a more permanent solution is needed. Routine clean-ups will not decrease the amount of feces and raw sewage pumped into the bay by various bayside establishments such as malls, restaurants, and hotels. As such, the DENR has delivered cease and desist orders to the said establishments.
According to Secretary Roy Cimatu of the DENR, the pumping of raw sewage and feces into the bay has caused an unsafe level of Fecal Coliform in the water and has rendered Manila Bay unsafe for swimming.
In addition to the cease and desist orders, local officials who allowed these establishments to operate were demanded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to explain why operating permits were issued when there were environmental laws violated by them.
To completely stop illegal sewage disposal, all establishments found to be dumping sewage into the bay should not be allowed to operate. A requirement to operate is a certification that all environmental laws are followed, and if an establishment has said certification but does not follow environmental laws, what special circumstances allowed this to happen?
Along with raw sewage and feces, trash and garbage are also illegally dumped into the bay. Like raw sewage and feces, trash and garbage are also a danger to aquatic life in the bay and the people near the shoreline.
According to DILG Undersecretary for Operations Epimaco Densing, 80 to 85% of garbage found in the bay’s waters originate from illegal settlers residing along the various waterways leading to the bay.
While poverty is an obvious reason as to why such a large concentration of illegal settlers exists, this is no reason to allow the continuous contamination of the bay.
To address this, the DILG has ordered that barangays handle the clean-up of the trash in their jurisdiction. Local officials are also contemplating the installment of a barrier on the bay to prevent illegal dumping of trash directly into the bay.
Barrier or not, the more important question is, why are people illegally directly dumping trash into the bay? The barriers are a good idea for now, but the root of the problem remains, the illegal settlers.
A more permanent solution though would be to enforce Republic Act no. 7279. RA 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 which prohibits the occupation of private and public lands without consent.
Illegal settlers should be, as the law requires, displaced and relocated. However, in addition to resistance from the illegal settlers themselves, local officials would prefer not to relocate them as they would lose voters, especially as election period is near.
Another source of pollutants is land reclamation by various commercial giants. In order to reclaim land, several tons of soil, stone, and sand are dumped into the waters near the shore to extend the coast. Studies have shown that reclaimed land is more vulnerable to collapse by soil liquefaction and earthquakes as these phenomena loosen the compacted stone and soil, allowing water to flow through expansive crevasses and weaken structural integrity.
Several commercial enterprises have proposed multimillion-dollar land reclamation projects to local officials. Also, as seen with previous land reclamation projects, the outcome is usually exclusive to rich foreigners and local elite.
Chemicals and other toxins from construction are at risk of spreading to the waters of the bay. Mountains are also quarried to gather the rocks and soil used in land reclamation. These projects are not worth the environmental and economic cost, especially when it also causes social division among the masses and the elite.
We all are contributing to the pollution of Manila Bay, but some more so than others, from the rich tycoons to the middle-class business owners, all the way to the impoverished masses. However, will we let the iconic orange Manila Bay sunset sink into trash-filled waters? Is this the image we want the next generation to imagine when they think of Manila Bay? Will we allow the internationally acclaimed beauty of Manila Bay to be tarnished forever?
If Manila Bay is to be truly rehabilitated, we will need to act now while there is still a Manila Bay to rehabilitate. Restoration is harder and costlier than rehabilitation. //by Gabe Ulanday
Opinion: The Filthy Truths
Photo credit: Cyñl Tecson
Recently, a massive drive to rehabilitate the iconic Manila Bay was organized by an inter-agency task force composed of different government agencies and volunteers. This comes after the success of a similar drive to rehabilitate and clean the Boracay Beach last year.
The initial phase of the rehabilitation project is seen as a success. On January 27, 2019, around 5,000 people descended on various parts of Manila Bay to conduct trash collection and other clean-up activities. In the days from then until now, smaller, similar clean-up activities were also held.
It is about time that the government acted to clean Manila Bay. Thousands of families live by the bay enduring the horrible pollution which causes illness.
However, regarding the rehabilitation and clean-ups, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has stated that a more permanent solution is needed. Routine clean-ups will not decrease the amount of feces and raw sewage pumped into the bay by various bayside establishments such as malls, restaurants, and hotels. As such, the DENR has delivered cease and desist orders to the said establishments.
According to Secretary Roy Cimatu of the DENR, the pumping of raw sewage and feces into the bay has caused an unsafe level of Fecal Coliform in the water and has rendered Manila Bay unsafe for swimming.
In addition to the cease and desist orders, local officials who allowed these establishments to operate were demanded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to explain why operating permits were issued when there were environmental laws violated by them.
To completely stop illegal sewage disposal, all establishments found to be dumping sewage into the bay should not be allowed to operate. A requirement to operate is a certification that all environmental laws are followed, and if an establishment has said certification but does not follow environmental laws, what special circumstances allowed this to happen?
Along with raw sewage and feces, trash and garbage are also illegally dumped into the bay. Like raw sewage and feces, trash and garbage are also a danger to aquatic life in the bay and the people near the shoreline.
According to DILG Undersecretary for Operations Epimaco Densing, 80 to 85% of garbage found in the bay’s waters originate from illegal settlers residing along the various waterways leading to the bay.
While poverty is an obvious reason as to why such a large concentration of illegal settlers exists, this is no reason to allow the continuous contamination of the bay.
To address this, the DILG has ordered that barangays handle the clean-up of the trash in their jurisdiction. Local officials are also contemplating the installment of a barrier on the bay to prevent illegal dumping of trash directly into the bay.
Barrier or not, the more important question is, why are people illegally directly dumping trash into the bay? The barriers are a good idea for now, but the root of the problem remains, the illegal settlers.
A more permanent solution though would be to enforce Republic Act no. 7279. RA 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 which prohibits the occupation of private and public lands without consent.
Illegal settlers should be, as the law requires, displaced and relocated. However, in addition to resistance from the illegal settlers themselves, local officials would prefer not to relocate them as they would lose voters, especially as election period is near.
Another source of pollutants is land reclamation by various commercial giants. In order to reclaim land, several tons of soil, stone, and sand are dumped into the waters near the shore to extend the coast. Studies have shown that reclaimed land is more vulnerable to collapse by soil liquefaction and earthquakes as these phenomena loosen the compacted stone and soil, allowing water to flow through expansive crevasses and weaken structural integrity.
Several commercial enterprises have proposed multimillion-dollar land reclamation projects to local officials. Also, as seen with previous land reclamation projects, the outcome is usually exclusive to rich foreigners and local elite.
Chemicals and other toxins from construction are at risk of spreading to the waters of the bay. Mountains are also quarried to gather the rocks and soil used in land reclamation. These projects are not worth the environmental and economic cost, especially when it also causes social division among the masses and the elite.
We all are contributing to the pollution of Manila Bay, but some more so than others, from the rich tycoons to the middle-class business owners, all the way to the impoverished masses. However, will we let the iconic orange Manila Bay sunset sink into trash-filled waters? Is this the image we want the next generation to imagine when they think of Manila Bay? Will we allow the internationally acclaimed beauty of Manila Bay to be tarnished forever?
If Manila Bay is to be truly rehabilitated, we will need to act now while there is still a Manila Bay to rehabilitate. Restoration is harder and costlier than rehabilitation. //by Gabe Ulanday
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