CITY of Manila – Following the launch of the administration’s reinvented Pasig River Urban Development project, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cited the need to clear both sides of the 25.2-kilometer stretch of the Pasig River to make way for what he aptly referred to as “a "people-centered and community-driven development."
Showcasing the 500-meter showcase area of the "Pasig Bibigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM): Pasig River Urban Development" project in Binondo, Marcos said that the poor families living along the banks of the Pasig River must be relocated.
Marcos led the launch of the revamped promenade behind the gutted Manila Central Post Office, right along the historic river.
“As the threat of climate change looms, we must save the poor and vulnerable living along its banks from the ravages of frequent and fearsome typhoons by transferring them to better homes, which they deserve,” said Marcos.
No Cause For Alarm
Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar admits facing a tall order amid the usual obstacles which caused delays in government projects in the past – the presence of informal settlers.
To prevent resistance from some 10,000 families living in “homes along the river,” Marcos directed Acuzar to make sure that affected families are properly taken care of, for which the Housing czar responded in the affirmative.
But the President stood his ground and said that the 10,000 informal settler families living along the river banks must be relocated, citing vulnerabilities from typhoons.
"The transformation we would like to see in the Pasig River [is] not cosmetic in nature," the President assured – "Make no mistake about it," he added. "It will be a people-centered and community-driven development with ideas crowdsourced from experts, and carried out with political will."
Many Failed Before
The last five Philippine Presidents before Marcos Jr. have tried to rehabilitate, beautify and reinvent the Pasig River. Previous attempts however were not sustained in view of differences in priorities and approaches of the past presidents which included the late former President Fidel V. Ramos, ex-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the late Benigno S. Aquino III and the embattled Rodrigo Duterte.
According to a press release sent to the media, the newly-constructed segment will serve as a public park consisting of a pedestrian-friendly walkway on a concrete platform equipped with a water fountain accented by lighting, and sitting areas which can also serve as an open-air venue for events.
The project follows Marcos' Executive Order No. 35 issued in July 2023 creating an inter-agency council that facilitates the rehabilitation of the Pasig riverbanks and water system.
P18B PPP Project
Acuzar said the government is eyeing to build a 50-kilometer promenade spanning both sides of the Pasig River in three years, funded through public-private partnership for a contract price amounting to a whopping ₱18 billion.
To ensure unperturbed workflow, Acuzar hinted at relocating the affected families at the nearby Baseco Compound in Manila and Lupang Arenda in Taytay (Rizal) for the resettlement areas – "Meron pong 25 hectares diyan (Baseco), almost 60,000 units ang itatayo na pabahay diyan. In fact po ay nagki-clearing na para umpisahan na ang proyekto," Acuzar told reporters.
Public parks and jogging and bike paths will also be constructed in key areas along the 25-kilometer stretch of the river, which traverses 11 cities in the metropolis.
"We want it to be a permanent exhibit area of green technology that works — from solar lights to rain harvesting facilities — sustainable practices like urban gardens," he said as he described his vision for the river.
Spanning River Highway
The government is also keen on maximizing the ready-to-use maritime highway by deploying more ferry boats and stations to help alleviate traffic problems in Metro Manila.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., however, said this could only be realized once it is fully utilized as an alternative transportation system in Metro Manila, even as he cited reports showing an increased ridership of the ferry service, reaching 240,000 commuters using the alternative mode of transportation.
The ferry route was designed to cut the point-to-point travel time to just an hour instead of the usual three hours via land transport mode.
Abalos admitted that more works are needed especially in the implementation of the Pasig River Urban Development Project.
Illegal Garbage Disposal
In line with this project, Abalos assured that the recurring problem of illegal garbage and chemical disposal will also be addressed by focusing on projects that maintain the river’s cleanliness.
MMDA chief Don Artes, for his part, said that there are existing plans to increase the availability of boats and add more stations along the Pasig-Manila route.
“This year, we will add more boats. Right now, we have fifteen boats, we will add three to four more this year. We also have three stations that will hopefully be opened this year,”he quipped.
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