Piso/kilometer/minute on the Pasig

MANILA, Philippines - What can you get for a peso today? One kilometer on the Pasig River – literally.

Beth Ona, president of the Philippine Ambassadors’ Ladies Foundation (PALA), fixed our adventure excursion on the Pasig River. Beth’s husband, Ambassador Johnny Ona, is founder and president of “Tattlers,” a mailbox of unexpurgated exchange of anecdotes among retired and serving foreign service officers not covered by the official secrets act.

On a recent Thursday, we diplomatic hens took the Pasig River Ferry Service starting from Guadalupe, the most convenient ferry station for the Rockwell crowd. The fare was P45 for the 45 minutes it takes to negotiate the 45 kilometers to the Escolta ferry station… in other words, one peso per kilometer per minute.

Our ninang Fanny Garcia, widow of Ambassador Delfin Garcia, was dressed to the nines. Even in her 80s, she still looked like the pacesetter on the ramp. She is the mother of our new envoy to Geneva and Permanent Delegate to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Evan Garcia, and her daughter-in-law, Jocelyn, is also our ambassador to Venezuela.

Program coordinators were Penny Farolan and Tita Mendoza. Penny’s husband, Ambassador Ramon Farolan, is the indefatigable champion of senior citizens’ perks.

We took the 10 o’clock ferry, but a cruise it wasn’t. The ferry is air-conditioned, “not because of the summer temperature,” according to Yrma Ileto, widow of the late Ambassador Rocky Ileto, “but because the Pasig was as pungent as the River Styx.”  

The other adventurous excursionists spraying eau de cologne to relieve their olfactory senses were Rhodora Gazmin, Cora Espiritu, Gloria Domingo, Irina Arribas, and Carmel Almendrala.

The view was nothing much, and the ferry could use some video entertainment, maybe Wowowee, or some silly show to pass the time or, better yet, some canned tourism tape.

But our hopes were buoyed on learning from our guide Marco Mercado of the great imagination and human effort that went into the enterprise. Now we have again a navigable Pasig River for commuter traffic, supported by essential infrastructure in the channel and both sides of the river banks.

Passing Malacañang and the Bahay Pangarap guest house, the intercom asked everyone to please remain seated and not to take photos. The only worthy view – and the spoilsport Presidential Security Guards (PSG) wouldn’t allow photos! Anyway, Beth had arranged last month for Heidi Lava to give PALA a tour of the adjoining Goldenberg and Teus Mansions, from where we had excellent view of the Pangarap guest-house.

In the mid-90’s, then first lady Ming Ramos kicked off her Piso Para sa Pasig campaign. It was the best intention of a serious amateur who saw from the Malacañang backyard that something had to be done.

When Erap took over he signed Executive Orders 54 and 65 in January 1999 establishing the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission which directed the national effort to clean the river.

But it was a fairy godmother in the person of Gina Lopez who gave a shot in the arm to the combined efforts of government and enlightened corporate self-interest (ABS-CBN Foundation, Unilever, GMA-7, etc.) to put a socio-economic master plan together.

The Herculean challenge to clean the Aegean stables remains; but (to mix metaphors), we have taken several giant steps on the journey of a thousand miles:

•           Shanties with titled property were given condominiums along the riverbank; others were relocated with the help of Gawad Kalinga – 9,364 of the identified 10,113 informal settlers resettled along Rodriguez, Taguig, Trece Martires, General Trias and Sta. Ana.

• River boat patrols keep the gains and collect garbage, report violators and prevent returnee squatters.

• Environmental dredging of 19 kilometers of the Pasig to deepen (from 3 to 6 meters) and widen (from 40 to 60 meters) it. As of January 2010, 1.47 million cubic meters of contaminated riverbed materials were removed.

• Shuttle service by six ferry boats at 30-minute intervals from Manila Bay (Plaza Mexico station) to Napindan River (Nagpayong station).

• Conveniently, the 15 ferry terminal stations connect to public transport (MRT, LRT, jeepneys, buses, pedicabs), offering an escape from Manila’s bumper-to-bumper traffic.

• Millionaires vines grow along the river banks for oxidation…complimenting efforts to seed the river with tilapia fry.

When President Fidel Ramos visited Vienna in 1997, I gifted then first lady Ming Ramos with a Gus Albor oeuvre of a meandering river in gold leaf baked on white Augarten plate. She saw in the Danube how cooperation among five countries – Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania – worked to save the river.

Vienna created two kilometers of man-made island in the middle of the Danube. Vienna could not clean the entire river, but the strip of water between the island the riverbank was filtered to allow water sports and even swimming. The riverbank on the UNESCO side sprouted bistros and cafes.

We imagine the Hospicio San Jose as that island which divides the Pasig. The Malacañang side of the river could be filtered to allow water sports and the river bank could have kiosks, cafes and promenade walks… if the PSG would allow. There are no limits to the imagination… a modest beginning, government joining hands with everyone… and we can get there.

In most countries, property facing the water is always prime real estate. But we use our rivers as our communal garbage dumps and cesspools. Education is imperative, to teach the old saying, “Huwag natin talikuran ang Pasig, harapin natin (Let’s not turn our backs on the Pasig but instead face it).” 

Our excursion arrived punctually at 10.45 a.m. and the ladies took a short walk to Savory for brunch of nostalgic chicken.

Now that is one peso – times 45 – very well spent.