Despite the fact that San Pedro City, Laguna is not part of the Manila Bay shoreline, the city still (and should) play a vital role in the protection of Manila Bay.
In fact, the city is included in the Supreme Court Continuing Mandamus to Clean-up, Rehabilitate, Preserve, and Protect the Manila Bay, as its waterways empty into Laguna de Bay - the Philippines' largest freshwater lake - which then in turn empties via the Pasig River into Manila Bay.
And as part of ensuring that the city complies with the Supreme Court Mandamus, the city government recently underwent an on-site validation to ensure that it fulfills its own obligations for the rehabilitation of Metro Manila's largest water source.
San Pedro City Mayor Art Mercado personally received the Regional Inter-Agency Committee, composed of officials from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) last April 1.
Officials from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and the City Urban Development and Housing Office (CUDHO) also participated in the assessment.
During the meeting, the city government presented the LGU’s initiatives in terms of Liquid Waste Management, Solid Waste Management, and Management of Informal Settlers.
The validators also visited the relocation site, city plaza, elementary school, barangay material waste recovery facilities, sanitary landfill, sewage treatment plant, identified cleared areas, and main thoroughfares.
To recall, the city government of San Pedro ranked 3rd place in the regional category at the Manila Bay Day Awarding Ceremony last December 14, 2022, after receiving a 98.19-percent rating at the 2022 LGU Compliance Assessment for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.
“Ang pagkilala pong ito ay bunga ng ating efforts pagdating sa maayos na solid waste management, liquid waste management, informal settler families at ang information, education and campaign materials ng lokal na pamahalaan,” Mercado had said at the time.
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