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by Valerie Tort

A rainbow-like congestion of plastic bags and other synthetic man-made materials are floating in the Pasig River for so many years that made the stretch polluted and clogged the San Juan stream.

When an individual reminisces the Pasig River’s stink and mount of garbage, anyone could be disgusted by the thought of sailing along a dirty riverbank. The Pasig River can also serve as an example and teach the young generation of the importance of garbage disposal and segregation.

An old postcard of Pasig River, calm and serene…

The haunt of muddy streams and whiff of undesirable odor is just the superficial effects of poor garbage management. Other ill effects can range from infectious diseases like typhoid and cholera to fatalities due to the complications of contagious and water-borne diseases.

But the Pasig River has shown promises of revival to its real beauty when the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources in cooperation with the Department of Transportation and Communications, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and a Filipino-Australian association that manages and organizes the operations of the ferry boats along the stretch of the historic river.

The Pasig River’s hope of its rehabilitation is a part of Clean and Green Philippines that continued to monitor and eliminate the wastes in the body of water. The improvement of the Pasig River can be seen when one takes a ride at the ferry, which has four stations namely the Guadalupe station, the Hulo station in the City of Mandaluyong, the stretch along Escolta and Santa Ana in Manila.

The ferry boats are fully air-conditioned. On board, it can hold passengers as much as 150 people that can enjoy the amenities such as tables and chairs that can be utilized for picnics or other family events while cruising and watching in a widescreen television for additional leisure experience for only 25PHP.

“The 25PHP ferry charge will be used as a financial assistance for the Pasig River’s continuous rehabilitation and sustenance of the improvements that are sought after by the populace for many years,” said Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission director Imelda Sarmiento in a statement.

Though the 25-peso travel expense can be a bit expensive since people exercise financial constraints nowadays, due to enrollment and other school expenditures, people can consider this as a contribution for the efforts to restore and rehabilitate the river. This cruising activity can be done by the whole family on weekends to bond and indulge themselves into a soothing picnic on board since the trip is definitely time consuming compared when traveling on land.

The efforts of restoring the Pasig River stretch along Makati, Mandaluyong, and banks in Metro Manila can be viewed with a ferry service along with the colorful houses that Gawad Kalinga revived. The Pasig River also served as a historical site and the little Venice of the Philippines.

As the ferry approached the sight of the Malacañang Palace in Santa Ana station, one can remember how the presidential house became a historical part of the Philippine scene. The presidential palace adorned the Pasig River along with its gardens. The beautiful reflection of the Malacañang Palace is spoiled by the floating wastes that traveled to and fro down the river.

Along the Escolta station in Manila, the National Press Club can be sighted. The moonlight spotlighted the esplanade made of tiles and stones. Escolta is near Chinatown so anyone can jump off to the station and hunt for bargain quality items.

The trip to Guadalupe station is more fun and seemed to be an acquaintance party or people on board as families sung lively using the widescreen television as videoke instead of utilizing it for movie viewing.

“This ferry trip is ideal for leisurely and laid back jaunts down the Pasig waterway. This trip is not for individuals who are in a rush,” a passenger said while chatting with her seatmate. The docking of the ferry, loading and unloading of passengers took about six minutes per station, while the trip from end to end (Guadalupe to Escolta) took an hour.

“We hope that the ferry can travel all the way through Pasig City down to Arroceros in Manila. Pasig River and Manila Bay meets in the junction in Arroceros,” said the Pasig River Rehabilitation Committee.

Back then, the Pasig River was a source of livelihood for the people living near its banks. Fishing was the money earner for the populace. It also provided supply of seafoods especially when the market was in short supply of fish and shellfish.

Pasig River also became the opportunity for people to engage in trade and commerce long before cars and other land vehicles were used in the Philippines. The boats transported goods and services to and fro Pasig River and Manila Bay going to different ports in Laguna de Bay and Marikina River.

People within the vicinity of the Pasig River can help contribute to ease pollution by reducing the wastes they dump in the waterway. Information dissemination regarding leaking sewage system became a threat to the residents within the stretch of the Pasig River since the clean tap water that is delivered in their houses can sooner or later be contaminated with undesirable bacteria, which may be a culprit for water-borne illnesses.

Manila developed and progressed from the 27-kilometer stretch of Pasig River. But the onset of pollution and poor waste management made Pasig River a dead body of water because it can no longer nourish and continue any living organism to propagate and sustain during the dawn of the 70s.

The hope to restore the beauty of Pasig River will materialize if the populace join hand and celebrate the river as a blessing to be taken care of.

Tags: Pasig River, Pasig River Ferry, Pasig River Rehabilitation