Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Friday vowed to go after illegal structures along the Pasig River and all esteros in Metro Manila.
Cimatu said the crackdown would harmonize the government’s rehabilitation efforts for the Pasig River and Manila Bay.
He asserted his objective of recovering the easements of the Pasig River and its connecting tributaries or esteros as well as all waterways in the National Capital Region.
"Let us fix the easements. Let us clean them. Maintain the three-meter easements. Those are the things we will have to with our esteros in the metro," he said.
Last Sept. 10, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 90 transferring the leadership of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to Cimatu.
According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources chief, he would discuss the directions that the DENR and PRRC would take under the his leadership.
The PRRC follows several easement laws, such as Article 51 of the Water Code of the Philippines and the Metro Manila Council Ordinance No. 81-01 for the minimum 10-meter easement along the Pasig River.
Cimatu warned that he would dismantle structures and properties that were unlawfully built along the river.