Hundreds take part in Pasig river clean-up drive

Hundreds of volunteers, including Canada’s ambassador to the Philippines John Holmes, joined hands to clean the Pasig River, scooping up sacks of garbage.Various sectors joined the #Salikalikasan, a clean-up drive hosted by the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA). Those who participated included Professional Women of AMCHAM (PWOA), a committee under the American Chambers of Commerce, Adapt Ergonomic Workplace Solutions Inc., American Women’s Club of the Philippines, American Association of the Philippines, Cargill, 3M, Dow Chemicals Philippines, Inc. and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), the lead agency mandated to rehabilitate the Pasig River.The volunteers cleaned up four areas — Sta. Ana, Quiapo, Pureza and San Juan River tributary.Taga-ilog, the group that pitched the clean-up drive, said, “In Laguna de Bay, we didn’t see a lot garbage. In Sta. Ana, San Juan area, that’s where the big problem is — the garbage coming from Marikina River, Quezon City.”The volunteers collected sacks of garbage in the two-hour clean up project.“Pasig River has significantly improved. In the 1990s, the river was biologically dead, now it is thriving with life and positivity,” said George Oliver G de la Rama, head of the public information, advocacy and tourism division of the PRRC.De la Rama said another clean-up campaign will be held, this time at the confluence of Pasig River and Manila Bay, in Baseco, Manila, with Senator Cynthia Villar.