Cleaning up Manila Bay cannot be done overnight but it is one government task that should be pursued vigorously to prevent the body of water from becoming a permanent dump.
The filth deposited underneath Manila Bay has destroyed its ecosystem as well as its tourism potential. Many economic opportunities have also been lost as a result of degradation. Its 190-kilometer coastline stretching from Cavite in the east to Bataan in the northwest should be ideal for aquaculture production and other livelihood opportunities that can benefit the communities along the shore.
President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to start the rehabilitation of Manila Bay is timely and his warning not to hesitate to order the closure of establishments along the area should send a strong message.
Some hotels, restaurants and other establishments have been polluting the bay because of their failure to treat their water discharge. But Manila Bay's problem is worse than that of Boracay. Informal settlers along Metro Manila's rivers and canals have been dumping their trash into the waterways that ultimately empty into Manila Bay.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has promised to put up communal septic tanks and waste water treatment facilities in slum areas to ensure human waste does not end up in the bay.
Relocating the informal settlers along Metro Manila's waterways, meanwhile, should begin soon to effectively clean up Manila Bay. (Their household waste contributes 70 percent of pollution in the area.) The government has the responsibility to provide decent housing to the poorest of the poor and end their exposure to inhumane conditions.
Saving Manila Bay is a gargantuan job. The DENR has estimated that some P47 billion will be needed to clean the entirety of Manila Bay.
Saving Manila Bay also requires a comprehensive and holistic approach. Its cleanup should be done simultaneously with the rehabilitation of Pasig River and other estuaries linked to it. The restoration job should include the polluted Laguna de Bay, which also empties into Manila Bay.