MMDA’s new pitch for Pasig ferry: Art along the riverbank

The Pasig River of old, as romanticized in poems and songs, may have long been gone. But it will soon get a fresh touch of art.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has tapped several visual artists to help the agency promote the Pasig ferry system as an alternative mode of transport while pushing the campaign to keep the waterway clean.

Under a project dubbed Pasig River Art for Urban Change, murals will be painted along the ferry route, inviting the public to use the river for their daily commute, explore the river and ponder its other potentials.

Out of a pool of 75 artists, nine were chosen by a panel headed by Julia Nebrija, the MMDA assistant general manager for operations. This advisory group also included artist Leeroy New; UP Vargas Museum curator Patrick Flores; and Lai del Rosario, British Council head of arts and creative industries.

Expected to start work within the month, the selected artists are Archie Oclos, Cristina Lina, Ged Alangui, Julius Sebastian, Kris Abrigo, Luigi Almuena, Malarko Hernandez, Ralph Eya, and the design group Team Manila.

Lina and Hernandez are currently based in the United Kingdom and will travel to the Philippines for the project.

The murals will be painted at the MMDA’s eight pumping stations along the Pasig ferry’s route.

Once completed, the MMDA and partners British Council, Davies Paints, San Miguel Holdings and OneReDesign Manila will host an art cruise to promote the project.

An average of 400 passengers use the ferries, which have 11 stations in the cities of Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila.