Duterte to Congress: Abolish Pasig River rehab agency

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte has called on Congress to abolish the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) as he reiterated that the polluted body of water can no longer be cleaned.

“If Congress is listening, abolish that [PRRC]. There is nothing to clean in the Pasig River. It’s already clean. That’s (already) the state of the art of Pasig,” Duterte said Monday during the oath-taking of newly appointed government officials at Malacañang.

The President lamented that the government is just wasting time and resources with the PRRC which he said “cannot do anything” to revive Pasig River.

“Unless we require every building not only along the river but everybody who has a waste to dump in a sewage or sewerage, nothing will happen. You’re wasting time. You’re paying people for nothing. They cannot do anything,” he said.

Duterte said the government should instead use the funds allocated to PRRC to purchase food and medicine for the people.

The President, in an executive order last August, transferred the PRRC chairmanship to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

A month later, he then fired the executive director of PRRC for spreading word about his supposed appointment to the Bureau of Customs and then “asking money” from people dealing with that agency.

READ: Duterte names DENR as new chair of Pasig River rehab commission

READ: Duterte fires Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission exec

READ: Duterte: Pasig River can no longer be cleaned