Top 100 corporations enjoined to adopt an estero

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resour­ces announced that it will encourage the top 100 corporations in the country to participate in the agency’s “adopt-an-estero” program.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said under this program, a particular estero will be placed under a company’s management, and the latter shall be responsible for the clean up and maintenance of a particular estero. He said the move is in line with the DENR’s plan to undertake massive clean up and rehabilitation of esteros, in partnership with the other national agencies, local government units, civil society and the business sector.

Paje said the clean up and rehabilitation of water bodies along Metro Manila and esteros will be undertaken at no cost to the government.

Metro Manila residents can now be assured of a cleaner air and water, particularly along the historical Pasig River, with the plan to clean water bodies in the metropolis and the whole country.

The clean up of Pasig River has already drawn strong support from the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Metro Manila Development Authority, the city government of Manila and the Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig.

Paje said his department has met with Metro Manila’s vice mayors on the issuance of local ordinances on ways to deter polluters from dumping their waste into rivers, to include community service as penalty, under the scheme of “you pollute, you render community service.”

The DENR chief also bared that they have already coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to include estero clean up for informal settlers before they can be issued the P1,000 conditional cash transfer.

“Aside from these, the department will also require the two water concessionaires, Manila Water and Maynilad, to fasttrack the construction of their respective sewerage and waste treatment facilities. The construction of these facilities is embedded in the contract of the two concessionaires with the government,” Paje said.

In other developments, on the birthday of Mother Mary, the United Poor Associates (UPA) yesterday asked the Aquino administration to impose three to four months moratorium on the demolition of homes of informal settlers living near two creeks in Manila City. The non-government organization UPA said in a statement that about 80,000 families living beside the Estero de San Miguel and Estero de San Sebastian would be affected by the planned demolition.

In a statement, the UPA said that these residents have also asked the assistance of Palafox Architects to come up with a housing design that would not hamper the rehabilitation of the waterways.

UPA spiritual adviser Fr. Robert Reyes brought the Cart of Mary, more popularly known is Kariton ni Maria, Kariton ng Maralita, to the area yesterday. The cart is a constant reminder to the poor that they are not alone in times of their misery.  – With Evelyn Macairan