CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has appealed to residents of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac to support efforts to rehabilitate and preserve the Manila Bay.
The regional office of the DILG, through its information officer Miriam Gaviola, said “all stakeholders in these provinces must do their share in the clean-up of major and minor rivers, esteros and connecting waterways that are linked to the bay.”
“Folk in these provinces are themselves beneficiaries as the campaign’s success addresses the age-old problem of severe flooding during the rainy season and typhoons,” Gaviola said.
She noted that moves to clean up Manila Bay is in line with the Supreme Court en banc decisions dated December 18, 2008 and February 15, 2011 which directed the DILG and other concerned government agencies to lead the campaign in rehabilitating and preserving the bay.
Waterways in the Central Luzon provinces flow into the Manila Bay, as do channels in the National Capital Region, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna.
Last Saturday, the DILG led the conduct of the first area-wide simultaneous cleaning day billed “Manila Bay:
Handog ng Diyos, Mahalin at Pagyamanin” with the cities of Balanga, Malolos, San Fernando and Tarlac and the town of Rizal in Nueva Ecija serving as kick-off venues in Central Luzon.
“Succeeding synchronized clean-ups will be held during the first Saturday of every month,” Gaviola said.
The League of Cities of the Philippines and Regional Development Council in the region expressed full support to the through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the DILG and adoption of a resolution committing their support to all projects that contribute to the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.
