EFFORTS by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are underway for resumption of a cleanup drive and restoration of Central Luzon portion of the Manila Bay. Manila Bay regional focal person Cynde Pagador said over 10,000 kilograms of mixed wastes have been collected by DENR river patrolers in various water bodies since March as the entire region was placed under community quarantine. The wastes collected were brought to the Metro-Clark Sanitary Landfill in Capas, Tarlac, for proper disposal. Nearly 300 estero (creeks) rangers or river patrolers have been critical in the department’s efforts to clean up Manila Bay and the rivers draining from it during the quarantine period. “They were tasked with monitoring up to 10 kilometers of water bodies daily to ensure that these were kept free of solid waste,” Pagador said. “Our estero rangers also kept busy coordinating with local government units to ensure that the collection and segregation of solid wastes within their areas of responsibility remained unhampered,” she added. The estero rangers also undertook tasks such as the installation of trash traps in water bodies, eco-bricking, as well as assisted in the distribution of relief goods to communities. The DENR appealed to the public to dispose of their wastes properly, particularly used face masks. Of the 190-kilometer stretch of Manila Bay, 142 kilometers fall within Central Luzon, traversing the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan.
