PASIG RIVER CLEARING, REHABILITATION EFFORTS

40 At-risk families living

near Tondo estero relocated
By: Krixia Subingsubing - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:01 AM July 04, 2018

CLEANUP CAMPAIGNMMDA personnel start demolishing shanties on the

banks of Estero de Magdalena, one of the tributaries of the Pasig River. —
EARVIN PERIAS

At least 40 informal settler families living on the banks of a trash-choked

estero in Tondo, Manila, were relocated on Tuesday to Cavite province as
part of government efforts to clean up one of the most polluted
waterways linked to the Pasig River.

Estero de Magdalena, a kilometer-long narrow creek running beneath

multistory shanties in the back alleys of Tondo, is currently home to
around 1,000 families who use the tributary as a dump.

It is one of the priorities of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission

(PRRC) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority which are
working to clear and rehabilitate the 25-km Pasig River.
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Traffic solution

Long thought to be biologically dead, the river is now being eyed by the
government as one of the solutions to the traffic problem in the
metropolis.

But to help improve the current river ferry service, authorities must first
clear the river banks of informal settlers, as at least 70 percent of the
trash found in the waterway was domestic—human waste, garbage and
compost, said PRRC public information officer George dela Rama.

The 40 families relocated on Tuesday was the first batch, to be followed

by 60 families next week.

Unlike most relocation efforts—often met with resistance from residents

who fear losing their livelihood—a lot of the families interviewed by the
Inquirer were in favor of moving to Trece Martires.

Nelieta Quillo, 41, however, was worried that her two kids, both in high
school, might not be able to continue their education as there was no
school near the relocation site.

She said they would have to commute back and forth for now, a move
which would cost them P280 a day.

It’s the same situation faced by Heideliza Marquez, 50, whose children
are also studying in Tondo.
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Perilous living conditions

But the living conditions in the estero—fetid, decaying and perilous—are

what convinced them to move, they said.

While the demolition of the structures on the estero are underway, it may
take a while before all 5,000 residents are relocated, said Bong Nebrija,
MMDA head of operations.

This was due to the limited number of available housing units being
provided by the National Housing Authority.

Still, there was an urgent need for residents to move since their shanties
were a hazard while the estero was a breeding ground for diseases, Dela
Rama said.
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1006797/40-at-risk-families-living-near-
tondo-estero-relocated#ixzz5LHki9ths 
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40 At-risk families living

near Tondo estero relocated
By: Krixia Subingsubing - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:01 AM July 04, 2018

CLEANUP CAMPAIGNMMDA personnel start demolishing shanties on the

banks of Estero de Magdalena, one of the tributaries of the Pasig River. —
EARVIN PERIAS

At least 40 informal settler families living on the banks of a trash-choked

estero in Tondo, Manila, were relocated on Tuesday to Cavite province as
part of government efforts to clean up one of the most polluted
waterways linked to the Pasig River.

Estero de Magdalena, a kilometer-long narrow creek running beneath

multistory shanties in the back alleys of Tondo, is currently home to
around 1,000 families who use the tributary as a dump.

It is one of the priorities of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission

(PRRC) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority which are
working to clear and rehabilitate the 25-km Pasig River.
ADVERTISEMENT

Traffic solution
Long thought to be biologically dead, the river is now being eyed by the
government as one of the solutions to the traffic problem in the
metropolis.

But to help improve the current river ferry service, authorities must first
clear the river banks of informal settlers, as at least 70 percent of the
trash found in the waterway was domestic—human waste, garbage and
compost, said PRRC public information officer George dela Rama.

The 40 families relocated on Tuesday was the first batch, to be followed

by 60 families next week.

Unlike most relocation efforts—often met with resistance from residents

who fear losing their livelihood—a lot of the families interviewed by the
Inquirer were in favor of moving to Trece Martires.

Nelieta Quillo, 41, however, was worried that her two kids, both in high
school, might not be able to continue their education as there was no
school near the relocation site.

She said they would have to commute back and forth for now, a move
which would cost them P280 a day.

It’s the same situation faced by Heideliza Marquez, 50, whose children
are also studying in Tondo.
ADVERTISEMENT

Perilous living conditions

But the living conditions in the estero—fetid, decaying and perilous—are

what convinced them to move, they said.

While the demolition of the structures on the estero are underway, it may
take a while before all 5,000 residents are relocated, said Bong Nebrija,
MMDA head of operations.
This was due to the limited number of available housing units being
provided by the National Housing Authority.

Still, there was an urgent need for residents to move since their shanties
were a hazard while the estero was a breeding ground for diseases, Dela
Rama said.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1006797/40-at-risk-families-living-near-
tondo-estero-relocated#ixzz5LHloDVoG 
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Group mocks Neda

economic managers, stages
‘tambay boodle’
By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Reporter / @GabrielLaluINQ
INQUIRER.net / 02:40 PM June 22, 2018

Gabriela women’s group staged a “tambay boodle lunch” in front of the

National Economic Development Authority office in Pasig City on June 22.
/Photo by Ryan Leagogo, INQUIRER.net

(Updated 3:45 p.m. to include Neda’s clarification on the budget issue)

Pro-women’s group Gabriela staged a “tambay boodle lunch” in front of
the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) office in Pasig City
on Friday to protest against the economic managers’ alleged efforts to
downplay the effects of inflation on poor families.
Members and supporters of the party-list group ate “chichirya” or cheap
junk food as viand for rice, depicting the Neda estimate of P25 as
an expense for food per person per day.
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But Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia had said in a

statement that Neda never said anything like that, explaining that an
erroneous television report spurred hate against the agency which
supposedly claimed that P10,000 is enough to sustain the needs of a
family of five for a month.

“I understand and regret that there are those who were dismayed by the
budget figures presented in a press conference last June 5. Allow me to
point out that there was no mention of a decent budget for a family,”
Pernia said.

READ MORE: Pernia: TV report not Neda said P10,000 budget enough

The protesters also took a swipe at the new anti-crime drive of the
Philippine National Police (PNP) against loiterers or “tambays.”

“Yung mga sinasabing mga tambay ng pulis, sila itong walang trabaho o
kaya Endo (End of Contract) na pinagkakasya ang barya sa bulsa para
maitawid ang gutom,” Gabriela Representative Emmi de Jesus said in a
statement on Friday.

“Samantalang itong mga tambay sa opisina ng Neda, pinapasweldo ng

halos P200,000 kada buwan para lang ipagkait ang dagdag sahod na
hinihingi ng mga manggagawa,” she added.

(The tambays caught by the police, they are jobless or affected by ‘endo’
who make the most of their little money to avoid hunger. However, these
bystanders inside the office of Neda are given P200,000 to prevent the
salary increase for the workers.)
Gabriela members and supporters protested against economic managers’
alleged efforts to downplay the effects of inflation on poor families. /Photo
by Ryan Leagogo, INQUIRER.net

The group also reiterated its proposal to the government regarding the
establishment of a P750 per day national minimum wage.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1003284/group-mocks-neda-economic-
managers-stages-tambay-boodle#ixzz5LHmQe5MW 
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