MANILA, Philippines—Some of the country’s top lawyers will monitor government compliance with a recent Supreme Court ruling ordering the clean-up of Manila Bay.

Tony Oposa, the University of the Philippines law professor who filed the case for the Manila Bay before the high court, has called on other lawyers and citizens to help in monitoring the clean-up.

According to Oposa, members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Philippine Bar Association met recently to form teams to monitor compliance by government agencies with the Supreme Court order.

“As required by the Supreme Court, the government agencies tasked to clean up Manila Bay have been required to submit reports to the court every 90 days,” Oposa said.

To ensure that the reports are truthful and accurate, the lawyers will form a high-level technical working group to verify the reports, summarize them and then submit them to the high court, he said.

“We know that this landmark decision is only the beginning of what will be a long and hard work to restore the Manila Bay into its former state of splendor and productivity,” said lawyer Linda Jimeno, former PBA president and spokesperson for the group.

Included among the nominees to the technical group are dean of the Ateneo School of Government and environmental lawyer Dr. Antonio La Viña, former environment secretary Bebet Gozun, and Dr. Edgardo Gomez of the UP Marine Science Institute.

The lawyers who attended the meeting included well-known litigation lawyers IBP executive vice president Rolly Vinluan, Jimeno and Rico Agcaoili of the PBA, Sigfrid Fortun, Karl Castillo and Oposa.

The Office of the Ombudsman, particularly its environmental task force, will also be involved in the monitoring of the agencies charged with the clean-up, Oposa said.

Lawyers and citizens who wish to help may sign up by sending an e-mail to Jimeno at ritalindaj@gmail.com. The team will be convening a meeting of volunteers.

In 1999, Oposa filed a case before the Imus, Cavite court to compel government agencies to clean up the bay. The case was elevated to the Supreme Court.

Last December 18, after 10 years, the high court ordered government agencies to immediately undertake moves to clean up the bay.

The ruling ordered 12 government agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metro Manila Development Authority and other local government units in the watershed of the Manila Bay, to restore its waters to a quality good enough for contact recreation.

The Supreme Court decision also ordered the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Law, the installation of sewerage systems and the removal of squatters along canals and riverbanks that feed into the Manila Bay.