Not just relocation, but more education

Now that flooding is once again a hot issue in Metro Manila, talk has focused on what to do with the many shanties that line up the waterways of the metro’s cities and municipalities.

Without doubt, many of the households sitting on the banks of these waterways are guilty of dumping their garbage, both plastics and biodegradable matter, direct to the canals and esteros, contributing to the pollution the water and impeding its smooth flow to the sea.

A viable solution

Interestingly, putting aside all the discussions about relocation and allowances, there could be a solution that does not involve all of these expensive allocation and controversial disbursement of taxpayers’ money.

Besides, the solutions being offered do not tackle the heart of the issue, i.e., residents of shanty houses in these urban poor areas have little or no regard for the life and welfare of rivers that flow right beside or even under their homes.

We can take a lesson from Estero de Paco, a 2.9-kilometer tributary that drains into the Pasig River. It was considered one of the dirtiest esteros in Metro Manila, much like the videos taken by television crews of some clogged waterways during the last flash flooding.

Kapit Bisig for Estero de Paco

To inculcate the right attitude and to influence change in the beliefs and practices of the community concerned, ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.’s Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP), with the help of partners and volunteers, conducted house-to-house campaigns, storytelling with the children, and proper waste management seminars.

An estero management unit was organized with the community to implement dredging of accumulated silt and solid waste on the riverbed in partnership with the Metro Manila Development Authority.

A legal three-meter easement along the estero was erected in partnership with Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and the Department of Public Works and Highways. This eventually was developed into a linear park and walkway for the residents.

Community involvement

The community was also involved in the beautification of parts of the easement, as well as the landscaping and maintenance of pocket gardens. Even murals were painted under the bridges.

Maynilad helped in constructing catchment pipes along Estero de Paco that helped reduced household discharges. An anaerobic baffled reactor, on the other hand, was contributed by Manila Water to help treat wastewater in the estero headwater.

To stabilize the easement slope, coco coir weavings were installed. Growing phytoremediation flora on the water also provided both practical and aesthetic functions. Last but not least, active island reactors along the stretch of Estero de Paco were installed to bring oxygen back into the estero waters.

River warriors

Most important in the success of the whole endeavor was the active involvement of residents who began to believe in the need to maintain the sustainable rehabilitation of the riverside communities.

Infrastructure development in the esteros as contributed by the private sector and government agencies would largely have been ineffective in terms of improving water quality if the residents and their barangay leaders remained indifferent and continued to shirk their responsibilities towards the esteros.

In a way, the community members were able to understand the pivotal role that the river played, not just in their lives, but the whole of Metro Manila’s. To strengthen the estero communities’ reconnection with the river, KBPIP envisioned a group of community-based volunteers committed to safeguarding the Pasig River. There were called River Warriors.

Broadening alliances

Because of the success of ABS-CBN Foundation with the Estero de Paco, more River Warriors were encouraged to join. KBPIP, in partnership with PRRC, the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, trained hundreds of River Warriors from adjoining communities.

Together with other project partners, these volunteers underwent training on law enforcement, ecological solid waste management, leadership seminars, estero rehabilitation and livelihood programs.

Continuous training programs, monitoring and the introduction of socioeconomic progress plus the will of these River Warriors, in the near future, will be a more effective form of stewardship of the esteros. Hopefully, this will preserve the desired change that Metro Manila needs.

Champions League (PCCL) and Kapit Bisig Para sa Pasig

Kapit Bisig Para sa Pasig headed by Gina Lopez and Champions League (PCCL) forged a partnership where Champions League committed to hold games for the benefit of the Pasig rehabilitation project.

The “Games of Champions” held during the collegiate national championship series features the champion junior teams of UAAP and NCAA in a battle to determine the top junior team in the country. The San Beda Red Cubs, perennial NCAA champion, has dominated the series, winning twice already as against the lone victory of then UAAP junior champion, Ateneo Blue Eaglets, led by the current collegiate ace, Ravena.

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