Press Release
June 28, 2016

Villar urges government agencies to double efforts to save Manila Bay

Sen. Cynthia Villar expressed alarm over the deterioration of Manila Bay waters eight years after the Supreme Court issued the writ of continuing mandamus ordering 13 government agencies to clean up and rehabilitate the bay.

"I urge government agencies to work double time in cleaning up Manila Bay. Eight years after the Supreme Court ordered the clean-up, no significant improvement can be seen in the bay," Villar said.

Villar, a staunch environmentalist, made this statement during the clean-up activity at Gasangan, Brgy. 649, BASECO, Manila.

On December 18, 2008, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in G.R.No. 171947-48 ordering 13 government agencies "to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay... restore and maintain its waters to make them fit for swimming, skin diving, and other forms of contact recreation."

These agencies are the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Budget and Management, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police Maritime Group, Department of Interior and Local Government, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, Local Water Utilities Administration, and the Philippine Ports Authority.

Around 300 persons joined the clean-up activity in BASECO headed by Villar, Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, DENR-National Capital Region, MMDA, residents of Brgy. 649, BASECO and the Kabalikat sa Kaunlaran ng BASECO Manila.

Other participating organizations were the Archdiocese of Manila and the Save Freedom Island Movement. Villar, who holds monthly clean-up activities in BASECO and at the Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Eco-Tourism Area, said they continue to collect truckloads of solid wastes. She also observed that the bay's water quality remains poor.

The lady senator said the high court's mandamus is an indication that the Manila Bay problem should not be regarded as a matter affecting only the more than 34 million people living within the basin area but also as a national concern that should be addressed by national government agencies.

"Manila Bay is a historical landmark. It is known in the world because of its breathtaking sunset. Over 300,000 fishermen depend on it for livelihood. We owe it to our children to rehabilitate and preserve it so that they will continue to reap its benefits," Villar said.

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