Manila Bay trash fills 48 trucks and counting

Public works officials, sanitation workers, and environmentalists could only shake their heads as the storm surge triggered by Tropical Storm “Gener” turned the recently repaired Manila Bay seawall into a dump.

“The sea sent back the garbage from the land as if telling off pig-headed people that whatever you throw away will return to you,” said Edwin Alejo, a coordinator of the green group EcoWaste Coalition.

Despite repeated campaigns against improper waste disposal, residents especially those along the Manila Bay coastline and Metro Manila waterways have yet to kick this ugly habit, Alejo said.

Inspecting the seawall Thursday, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino said 48 trucks of garbage had been collected so far from Roxas Boulevard, which went underwater due to Wednesday’s storm surge.

The massive cleanup, which would involve hauling the trash all the way to a landfill in San Mateo, Rizal province, could last till weekend, he said.

Giant waves battered the 1.4-kilometer seawall which underwent a five-month repair earlier this after it was severely damaged by Typhoon “Pedring” in September 2011. It was rebuilt to the tune of P94 million, which far exceeded the initial estimated cost of P81 million.

The repair works had to be rushed in April in time for the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Manila.

Arman Andres, head of the Manila City Engineering Office, Thursday noted that the repairs had raised the seawall’s height by 16 inches, “but the waves were really strong and high. The splash rose higher than the coconut trees.”

In another interview, Tolentino said that had the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) heeded his earlier proposal, Wednesday’s floods on Roxas Boulevard which also affected the operations of the US Embassy would not have occurred.

The MMDA chief said he had resubmitted to Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson a proposal to construct a “double-layered seawall” some 10 meters away from the existing wall, which he believes would be strong enough to withstand storm surges.

This second wall should have a concave layout, rather than follow a straight line, to reduce the impact of the waves, he added.

Tolentino also suggested the construction of a separate, 2-km breakwater on the bay to further cushion the assault of the waves before they could even hit the seawall.

“It was proven and tested in other countries … That was the only solution we could think of so the waters would not reach the roads,” he said.

Also on Thursday, the DPWH maintained that Gener did not cause any damage to the seawall’s main structure “despite the tons of garbage that hit and covered it.”

In a statement, Singson said “the asphalt-paving works (on both the seawall and the pavements) are covered by a one-year warranty. That’s why the contractors are obliged to do repair works at their own expense.”

Reynaldo Tagudando, DPWH-National Capital Region head, said the cracks earlier found on the seawall were not caused by Gener. “The superficial damage was found on the decorative portions, not the seawall structure, even before the storm.”

Tagudando said this was the reason why the DPWH had not fully paid JV Legaspi Construction Co., the project contractor. With a report from Jerry E. Esplanada