Valenzuela City dead serious about river protection

MANILA, Philippines–River polluters in Valenzuela, beware.

The Valenzuela City government has launched a patrol force dedicated to strictly enforcing national and local environmental laws in the city’s biggest waterways.

The new law enforcement group, dubbed “Bantay Ilog,” or River Watchers, will patrol Valenzuela City’s major waterways, specifically the Polo, Coloong, Santolan, Longos and Lingahan Rivers and the Lingunan-Veinte Reales and Canumay Creeks, to catch people or establishments fouling the waterways.

Ordinance with teeth

The Bantay Ilog was made official by Ordinance No. 133, Series of 2013, passed by the Valenzuela City Council, which gives teeth to enforce the Clean Water Act and other associated local ordinances for the prevention of water pollution.

The city government has invested nearly P6 million to provide the task force equipment, which include eight patrol boats, four backhoes and four barges, which will be used for cleaning up and dredging the rivers and creeks.

Initially, eight inspectors and 16 aides were appointed to the task force. Their job would be to patrol the waterways and arrest people in the act of dumping garbage in the rivers, for example.

The task force, together with the City Environmental and Natural Resources Office, Office of the Building Official and the Task Force Disiplina, can also inspect establishments suspected of violating environmental laws.

Fines for dumping trash in the river range from P1,000 to P5,000, depending on the number of times the offense was made.

Meanwhile, businesses found violating environmental laws will pay fines of P1,000 to P10,000, also depending on the number of times they have been caught.