MANILA, Philippines — As part of its P95.4 billion Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) project, conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) on Thursday announced its plan to revive the long-polluted Pasig River.
In a statement, SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said that the attempt to revive the Pasig River “may be the most challenging, yet the most fulfilling.”
“Not only will we be building a much-needed direct link between eastern and western Metro Manila, but we will also be leading a historic effort to bring the Pasig River back to health,” Ang said.
“For so many decades, even when I was young, the Pasig River had been synonymous to pollution. Many Filipinos have long wanted to clean it and revive it, bring it back to its old glory. There were even high-profile fund-raising projects and similar initiatives to clean it. But unfortunately, not much has changed,” he added.
The 27-kilometer Pasig River, which links Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay, runs through the cities of Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Taguig, and the municipality of Pateros in Metro Manila and Taytay in Rizal province.
SMC is set to build PAREX, which stretches 19.4 kilometers and will start from Radial Road 10 (R10) in Manila, and will end at a connection to the South East Metro Manila Expressway at Circumferential Road 6 (C6).
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PAREX, SMC added, will have entry and exit points at the University Belt area, San Juan, Buendia, Mandaluyong, Makati, Rockwell, Edsa, Pioneer St., Bonifacio Global City, C5, before terminating at C6.
The expressway is also seen to provide as an alternative and faster access to business hubs Makati, Ortigas, and Bonifacio Global City.