Pasig River urban development launched this week

MANILA, Philippines — Amid calls to improve the condition of the Pasig River, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is set to launch a project that would promote urban development for one of Metro Manila’s prime waterways, acting MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said yesterday.

Artes declared that the government would launch on Jan. 17 the Pasig River Urban Development program, pursuant to President Marcos’ Executive Order 35, issued in 2023.

Artes, MMDA deputy chairman Frisco San Juan, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and Rear Admiral Hostillo Arturo Cornelio, the Philippine Coast Guard’s Metro Manila and Central Luzon district commander, toured the river on a ferry boat of the MMDA’s Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS) on Jan. 12.

The tour started at the Guadalupe station in Makati and ended at the Escolta station in Manila.

The urban development program includes the erection of two new PRFS stations in Manila and Pasig.

The station in Intramuros, Manila was removed following the construction of the China-funded Binondo-Intramuros Bridge.

The other station will be located in Bridgetowne in Pasig. 

The government will also rehabilitate the PUP station in Manila, which is currently closed. The station’s floating dock, where passengers step from the ferry boat, is tilted.

The PRFS boats stop at Pinagbuhatan, Kalawaan, San Joaquin, Guadalupe, Hulo, Valenzuela, Lambingan, Sta. Ana, Quinta Market, Lawton and Escolta stations. The PUP and Maybunga stations remain shut.

The MMDA plans to procure more ferry boats, particularly those that can carry up to 150 passengers, and reduce the turnaround period for ferry boats, Artes said.

“We will procure additional boats, particularly 150-seaters, and lower the waiting time or interval from 30 minutes to 20 minutes,” he said.

Artes also assured passengers that the rides at the PRFS will remain free this year.

The free ride program, which has been ongoing since 2019, is included in the annual budget of P72 million for the PRFS.

The Department of Transportation has also pledged to extend the PRFS to Manila Bay and even to Cavite, he added.

In 2023, the MMDA saw a surge in ridership in the PRFS with a record of 254,000 passengers, higher than the 170,000 in 2022 and 58,000 in 2021, Artes noted.

Previously, architect and urban designer Paulo Alcazaren proposed linear parks be built on the banks of the Pasig River.

“Everyone would benefit from the access to greenery, views of the river, recreational activities, better mobility and connectivity between the two banks, and to a ferry system that could take thousands up and down the storied Pasig,” he said.

Abalos said the government must ensure the improvement of conditions in the Pasig River including water quality and waste disposal.