The Manila Bay challenge

My friend Rick Ramos, convenor of the group Manila Bay Initiative called my attention with regard to my column last Monday, February 25, 2019, “The Manila Bay Crisis.” He said that their proposal was not for a Manila Bay Development Authority, but for a Manila Bay Authority that will take care of the rehabilitation of Manila Bay which will take 10 years and cost about P500 billion. I stand corrected. I was also told to refrain from using the word “development” because there is nothing to develop. He added that even the MMDA is a misnomer for there is nothing to develop in Metro Manila. The function of the agency is basically on traffic enforcement, flood control and solid waste. But as we all know by now, the MMDA has been a dismal failure in the past 25 years since its creation. Anyway, that is another story.

Ramos added that the so-called “Battle for Manila Bay” is doomed to fail for the simple reason that there is no strategic plan to follow. DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu has not even mentioned the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan. This plan is being done with the Netherlands government and consultants that started last year. It seems that Cimatu does not know about this since it is being done through NEDA.

The real problem with the Manila Bay crisis is that there is no strategic plan to follow, thus, everything is done in haste. Even the AO 16 signed last February 19 by President Duterte creating the Manila Bay Task Force did not order the inter-agency body to come up with a Strategic Plan within 90 days in their first quarterly report to the Office of the President. Sanamagan!

What is even more alarming is the statement of DENR Secretary early this year, that he will finish the Battle of Manila Bay in a year. He probably thought that if he did it in six months with Boracay, he can do it in 12 months for Manila Bay. Susmariosep! Probably Cimatu does not know or maybe he has forgotten that Boracay is an island with an area of 1,032 hectares, while Manila Bay is almost like an enclosed lake with an area of almost 200,000 hectares or three times the size of Singapore or Metro Manila.

The Manila Bay area covers four provinces: Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan; five cities of the NCR: Las Pinas, Paranaque, Pasay, Manila and Navotas. Other than the 17 major rivers that drains to the Bay, there are the 18 polluted esteros of Metro Manila that also drain to the Bay. So, without the proper Sewerage Treatment Plants in place, how can we expect to get clean water?

In a research done by Manila Bay Initiative, there were various petitions that were filed by Maynilad Water, Manila Water, and MWSS with the Supreme Court about their failure to comply with the Clean Water Act of 2004 which provides for the installation of a sewerage system with STPs within five years or in 2009. There are allegations that they are asking the Supreme Court to waive the fines that will reach P1.0 Billion.

Today, Maynilad maintains and operates 20 wastewater treatment plants that process wastewater and sludge collected from customers. This is to prevent the pollution of waterways and bodies of water.

It is said that the company’s Dagat-Dagatan Sewage and Septage Treatment Plant in Caloocan is the first facility of its kind in the Asia-Pacific Region to attain triple international standard accreditations on Quality Management (ISO 9001:2008) and Environmental Management (ISO 14001:2004) in January 2007, and Occupational Safety and Health Management (OHSAS 18001:2007).

In 2016, Manila Water inaugurated the Marikina North Sewage Treatment Plant, the country’s largest sewage treatment plant in Balubad Resettlement, Barangay Nangka, Marikina City. 

In 2017, the Taguig North and Marikina North Sewage Treatment Plants were also put up. As of July 31, 2018, Manila Water has installed an aggregate of 135,251 sewer connections within the East Zone since the start of its concession period, serving a total of 186,480 households.

Manila Water currently operates and maintains 38 sewage treatment plants (STP) and two septage treatment plants (SpTP), to ensure that used water collected from its customers is treated and cleaned before being discharged back into Metro Manila’s waterways. The discharge from these treatment plants has consistently passed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) effluent quality standards, averaging 99.8% compliance over that past five years as against the required 95% compliance set by the Department. More treatment plants are being constructed and more sewer networks are being laid to further increase sewer coverage within its concession.

A new waste water management facility in Pasay City was also unveiled last year by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). According to the MWSS, Metro Manila has a total of 58 waste water treatment facilities. However, this covers only 15 percent of Metropolitan Manila. MWSS plans to expand waste water facilities to cover the entire area by 2037.

It is good to know that these government agencies are doing their part in the Manila Bay crisis. If Metro Manila and the surrounding communities are connected to the sewerage system of the MWSS through Maynilad and Manila Water, then relief will come to the residents.

On the other hand, the garbage being thrown to the rivers is “easier” to address with garbage collection and relocation of the informal settlers. The relocation of the more than 200,000 informal settlers (squatters) living along the bay and the rivers flowing into it is very important. So far, there are no concrete plans except of the news of DENR’s intention to relocate them and to install temporary STPs. Well, I think, the first thing to do is to provide toilets (WCs) so their waste can flow to the sewer lines and be treated in the STPs.

Apart from the 1,163 soldiers who trooped to the coastal areas of Las Piñas and Parañaque last week to help clean up Manila Bay led by Army Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Rizaldo Limoso and Ignacio Almira, assistant regional director of the DENR, everything is quiet on the Manila Bay challenge. Is the DENR group just resting, hibernating or what have you…or have they finally realized the need for a strategic plan to succeed in the challenge? What’s the next step? Abangan!