MANILA, Philippines?The first ever ?Eco-Precinct? will soon rise in Manila as a station for all environment-related offenses in the Paco area, a place with polluted waterways or ?estero? and streets littered with garbage.

To be built in the middle of a busy public market on Angel Linao and Pedro Gil Streets, the Eco-Precinct will be manned by 200 civilian ?River Warriors? and supervised by officers of the adjacent Paco police community precinct

?You cannot clean the river if you do not clean the esteros,? said Gina Lopez of the ABS-CBN Foundation, whose Kapit Bisig Para Sa Ilog Pasig spearheaded the project with the Philippine National Police and the Manila government.

?This will be one model of startling magnificence. If you clean the estero, the peace and order, health and economy (of the area) improve. If you do it in one place and you do it really well, everything improves,? she said.

On Thursday, officials led by the PNP chief, Director General Jesus Verzosa, Lopez, and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim conducted the ground-breaking rites at the Paco market.

Lopez said: ?The Eco-Precinct is meant to be the headquarters of the River Warriors. They will be your army to make sure that there will be peace and order. They have been knighted by the five police generals. They will help you make keep the place clean and help make the city of Manila good.?

She said her organization was also renovating the Paco market on top of building the precinct and cleaning the canals. The PNP has allotted P745,000 for the project, Lopez said.

?The Eco-Precinct will handle environment cases, like throwing of garbage, for the whole area,? she said.

Lopez said they hoped to start construction on Friday, and was aiming for a completion date in 30 to 45 days. ?It will be finished in time for the first 100 days of President (Benigno) Noynoy (Aquino III) ? October 10, 2010,? she said.

In his message, Verzosa said cooperation between the PNP and the citizenry was vital in promoting awareness about the importance of keeping cities clean.

?We have so many rivers and tributaries that we could enjoy and improve especially if we clean up our rivers. This is a united effort, a united activity,? he said.

Lim said he hoped the public market vendors and stall owners would also help in the cleanup project.

?If we will clean it up, but somebody will again throw away garbage, there will be no end in our cleaning up. Everybody has to cooperate,? he said.