The City of Pasay was ranked third among compliant local government units in Metro Manila in implementing the Manila Bay Clean-Up Rehabilitation and Preservation Program.
The recognition came from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday.
The agency monitors LGUs regarding a Supreme Court ruling mandating them to strictly monitor compliance of their constituents with environmental laws aimed to prevent sewage water and industrial and human wastes from polluting rivers, esteros, and other waterways that form part of the tributary systems of the Manila Bay.
Pasay passed scrutiny in terms of liquid waste management, solid waste management, informal settler families as well as information, education, and communication materials and institutional arrangements.
Mayor Imelda Rubiano said she was thankful that all the hard work of her city to fulfil its role in the restoration of Manila Bay to its former glory have paid off.
“This award reflects the city’s unrelenting effort to improve the quality of water in the bay. We will constantly implement and even improve our efforts in keeping Manila Bay clean,” said Rubiano.
Pasay got 94.67% grade in its liquid waste management; 97% in solid waste management; 100% in informal settler families; and 90% in information, education, and communication.
The Manila Bay rehabilitation program is spearheaded by the Department of Environment, and National Resources, with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, various government agencies, local government units, private groups, environmentalists and volunteers.
In 2013, environmentalist group Greenpeace described Manila Bay waters as the most polluted in the country, serving as a giant waste-dump for the metropolis.
Although a subject of a Writ of Continuing Mandamus issued by the Supreme Court in 2008, ordering various government agencies to help in its clean up, the bay’s condition remains largely unimproved, the group stated.
Greenpeace and scientists from the University of the Philippines had called on the Philippine government to enact immediate measures to reverse the bay’s shocking decline.
Research shows that unprocessed waste ending up in the bay has resulted in high levels of fecal coliform and the presence of heavy metals, pesticides, and excess feeds in its waters.
This, along with other factors, have resulted in the degradation of Manila Bay and its coastal areas, resulting in an estimated P4 billion in damages yearly, mostly in fisheries, exports, and mortality costs due to waterborne diseases.