MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led on Wednesday the ceremonial opening of the “Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli: Pasig River Urban Development Showcase Area,” as part of the administration’s efforts to bring back its old glory.
In his speech, President Marcos reminded the public that the project does not only aim to look back at the historical significance of the Pasig River, but also to focus on the transformation of the waterway.
President Marcos said the Pasig Bigyan Buhay Muli, a project under the guidance of First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, envisions the Pasig River to become “a living river” of multiple benefits for the multitude with safe walkways and bikeways along its banks, greener corridor and a string of parks for communities nearby.
“Along the 25-kilometer stretch will judiciously sprout commercial enterprises, run by the best stewards and strongest stakeholders of the river’s development— the people themselves,” President Marcos said.
“We envision civic spaces where our children will play, our seniors relax, families will exercise, artists can showcase their talents, and the creative can display their wares,” he added.
The chief executive also emphasized that the administration wants the Pasig River to become a permanent exhibit area of green technology “that works—from solar lights to rain harvesting facilities— sustainable practices like urban gardens.”
Marcos said the government will also maximize the ready-to-use maritime highways by deploying more ferry boats and stations in a bid to invite more riders to patronize the transport system.
While the government pushes for the transformation of the Pasig River, the President clarified it will not be “cosmetic in nature,” as it will be done through cleaning up to the bottom of the river.
The President said some solutions to the problems of the Pasig River “are found upstream.”
“As the threat of climate change looms, we must save the poor and vulnerable living along its banks from the ravages of frequent and fiercer typhoons by transferring them to better homes they deserve,” President Marcos said.
“Make no mistake about it. It will be a people-centered and community-driven development, with ideas crowdsourced from experts, and carried out with political will,” he added.
Marcos acknowledged the Pasig River will no longer go back to its pre-colonial pristine condition, but it can still be revived to serve the present while preserving it for the future.
“We can stop it from being a petri dish of toxins and make it instead an incubator of progress and best environmental practices. In some ways, the fate of the Pasig River mirrors that of our country and of our people,” he said.
“Both contain much untapped potential and both move forward persistently, despite years of neglect. That is why we have set into operation the “Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli.”
The President clarified the “Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli” is not a re-branding, but reviving of new and fresh ideas.
President Marcos earlier issued Executive Order No. 35, constituting the Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development (IAC-PRUD), tasked to facilitate and ensure the rehabilitation of the Pasig River and nearby water systems.
The council is also tasked to relocate informal settler families living along the banks of the Pasig River with the help of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD). (PND)
