People power One Day, One Bay in Metro cleanup

Brace up for yet another People Power Revolution on Saturday. This time, the aim of its organizers is to clean up Manila Bay.

This morning, officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) are channeling the spirit of “people power” into a Metro-wide cleanup of the bay to coincide with the 26th anniversary of the 1986 revolt that toppled Ferdinand Marcos.

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo will lead DILG officials and employees in the cleanup operation under the agency’s “One Day One Bay” campaign “in support of the spirit of the Edsa People Power Revolution.”

In a statement, Robredo said the activity was the department’s contribution to the country’s celebration of the anniversary of the restoration of democracy.

“We have already proven many times in the past that when Filipinos become united in purpose and action, we can do many things. This time, let us commit ourselves to bring back the pristine beauty of Manila Bay,” Robredo said.

Robredo will be joined by 5,000 DILG officials and employees, including contingents from the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and Philippine Public Safety College.

‘Heart and soul’

Barangay officials and residents will also take part in the cleanup activity at Barangay 190, Don Carlos Village, in Pasay City. Similar activities will be held in other areas in Metro Manila, officials said.

The One Day One Bay campaign is spearheaded by the DILG-National Capital Region’s Manila Clean-up, Rehabilitation and Preservation Project, which aims to rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay and all waterways connected to it.

‘Do our own share’

The project aims to reduce pollution on the bay by 50 percent and increase its vegetative cover by 25 percent by the year 2015. It also seeks to remind the public about its responsibilities to preserve nature.

Research by project officials indicated that Manila Bay has an estimated coliform (bacteria) count of 33,733,333 MPN (most probable number) per 100 milliliters in the Luneta area—mostly from domestic wastewater, animal wastes, garbage, and urban and agricultural runoffs.

The bay’s mangrove cover has also deteriorated, while the fish catch has declined to 85 percent since 1970, officials said.

“Each one of us should do our own share by practicing waste segregation and not throwing trash just anywhere and letting it flow toward Manila Bay,” Robredo said.