QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) shared  a number of its significant achievements in confronting the challenges of the Manila Bay rehabilitation program last year as it vowed to accomplish more in 2022.

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said he is personally satisfied with the accomplishment of the DENR in the rehabilitation of Manila Bay in 2021 despite some setbacks due to natural hazards and the pandemic.

"I am especially pleased with our transformation of Manila Bay. We should be more appreciative of what we have achieved thus far, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and natural disasters over the past couple of years," Cimatu said in his message at the DENR's Expanded Executive Committee Conference on January 18.

Cimatu also extended his gratitude to the Duterte administration for its full support of the rehabilitation program.

"Thanks to the creation in February 2019 by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of the Inter-Agency Manila Bay Task Force, led by the DENR, to expedite the rehabilitation of the bay’s degraded coastal and marine ecosystems," Cimatu said.

The DENR chief underscored the significant impacts brought about by the interventions that were put in place to achieve a water quality that will be fit for water contact activities in Manila Bay.

"Our sewage treatment plants in three outfalls are reducing fecal coliform counts significantly in the bay’s water," Cimatu said.

He added: "Along with solar-powered restrooms and other geo-engineering interventions, our work will enable the public to enjoy swimming, boating, and fishing in the bay, hopefully by the end of my term this midyear, in addition to strolling on the dolomite beach."

Moreover, DENR Assistant Secretary for Field Operations-Luzon Gilbert Gonzales discussed the accomplishments of the three regional offices with jurisdiction over Manila Bay.

He said that 2,379 "estero" rangers were hired to conduct daily cleanup of water bodies draining to the Manila Bay, and have helped collect 82 million cubic meters of waste.

The DENR-National Capital Region (NCR), where the concentration of the rehabilitation program is being conducted, had the largest amount of waste collected at around 72 million cubic meters.

A total of 249 trash traps were also installed to control the outflow of garbage from the tributaries to Manila Bay.

The DENR-Region 3 has installed the highest number of trash traps with 223, while the DENR-Region 4A has installed 16, and the DENR-NCR with 10 trash traps.

"These are the immediate measures that were introduced by the three regions to be able to address the garbage that flows out to the Manila Bay," Gonzales said. (DENR/PIA-NCR)