RSA, Mayor Joy work on metro flood problem

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) chairman and chief executive officer Ramon S. Ang and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte have agreed to work together to tackle the flood problem that continues to cripple Metro Manila during heavy downpours.

SMC, represented by no less than RSA, signed a memorandum of agreement with the Quezon City government, led by Mayor Belmonte, at the SMC head office in Mandaluyong City last Tuesday, witnessed by QC city engineer Mark Dale Diamond Perral, QC administrator Michael Victor Alimurung, Cynthia de Castro – SMC assistant vice president for government affairs and Jimmy O. Lu – VP and overall project manager of SMC’s Better Rivers PH initiative.

SMC and the QC government have agreed to jointly work together to clean and rehabilitate major rivers in the city, expanding SMC’s Better Rivers PH initiative  that aims to  reduce flooding in Metro Manila.

Under the agreement, SMC will deepen and widen key sections of the San Juan River and extend its cleanup of the Tullahan River to La Mesa Dam, building on its 2020-2022 pilot effort that cleared 1.1 million metric tons of silt and solid waste from 10.9 kilometers of the waterway.

The  RSA-led company will also clean up other tributaries identified by the QC government to remove silt and garbage, increase rainwater carrying capacity, and improve outflow to Manila Bay, which will help reduce flooding in low-lying areas.

The partnership between SMC and the QC government includes the deployment of dredging equipment, barges, and trucks, as well as the development of improved systems for collecting debris and other obstructions to restore the natural flow of water.

The dredging and removal of garbage and debris projects will form part of SMC’s Better Rivers PH program which was  launched in 2020. This program has already removed more than 8.5 million metric tons of silt and waste from 163 kilometers of rivers and tributaries in and around Metro Manila at no cost to  the government or taxpayers.

According to Ang, “For five years now, we have been cleaning rivers because we want to help solve the flooding problem,” adding that  “We don’t profit from this work, and none of the dredged material is ever used for our projects. This is about doing our part for our communities.”

Mayor Belmonte welcomed the partnership, saying it will strengthen Quezon City’s flood control efforts and complement its broader waste management and environmental initiatives.

At the MOA signing ceremony, Belmonte assured the public that the combined effort of the QC government and SMC would help ease the burden of the cleanup.

“Lahat ng bagay ay gumagaan kapag pinagtutulungan. Together, we are multiplying our impact and we can set a new standard for public-private collaboration that builds the foundation for a more resilient city and a life of dignity for every QCitizen and every Filipino.”

As part of its commitment to long-term solutions, SMC has also offered to help Quezon City explore more advanced waste management technologies to support better flood prevention and environmental protection.

Solid waste management

Having personally experienced the flooding caused by Typhoon Ondoy in September 2009 and again of Typhoon Carina in July 2024, I firmly believe that aside from the dredging of silt from the rivers and waterways, there must be more effort and education on solid waste management, which refers to the complete process of collecting, treating, analysis and disposal of solid waste.

I have witnessed that once the floodwaters go down, piles of garbage – including large pieces of furniture, plastics, kiddie tricycles, mattresses, tons of tarpaulins and garbage – have piled up and clogged drainage pipes that caused the back flow of floodwaters onto the streets.

The span of Araneta Avenue along QC is a regular witness to the massive pile up of garbage after the  floods that make the major thoroughfare impassable after a prolonged downpour.

European countries like Germany and Sweden have perfected their solid waste management and recycling process. I have had the opportunity to see for myself how the German government encourages its citizens to  bring all of their unwanted stuff –  from furniture, construction materials (even ceramic toilets and wash bowls,  bicycles, old appliances, old tires, toys, clothes and even unused chemicals, to a sorting, recycling and disposal facility where such items are sorted, classified and assessed for proper disposal, recycling or repurposing.

Thus, future flood control projects should include solid waste management and education.

Government should set aside funds to put up collection and sorting facilities where the public can properly go to dispose of their unwanted stuff instead of relying on the default garbage collectors  who sometimes actually refuse to accept big items, forcing some residents (especially those living near rivers or estuaries) to ditch their unwanted mattresses, furniture or bike into the murky waters.

Even in Amsterdam, the habit of ditching old and broken bicycles is hard to break as the Dutch government needs to regularly dredge and scoop up tons of the popular two-wheel vehicles commonly used in the city.

It is really high time that we Filipinos should have such facilities, not just in the cities, but throughout the country.

In Germany, I was also amazed that citizens are encouraged to bring unused chemicals, such as acids or paints, to the solid waste  facility for proper disposal and prevent poisoning the waterways which also irrigate farmlands. Here in the Philippines, we simply throw away half-empty unused paints and chemicals in the garbage, oblivious to the toxic brew that we are creating that in turn poisons our waterways and fertile land.

Perhaps, as stated by Mayor Belmonte, the government could encourage public-private partnerships for solid waste management that could end up being beneficial to both parties in term of recycling and repurposing materials, and may even result in low-cost furniture and provide employment for local carpenters, resulting in a virtuous cycle.