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SMC spent P3 B for river cleanups

Business | Trade & Industry

SMC spent P3 B for river cleanups

By Emmie V. Abadilla

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has already spent P3 billion in Metro Manila river cleanups covering Pasig River, Tullahan River, and San Juan River and plans to "fully shift its river rehabilitation efforts to Bulacan in the coming months" to prevent floods, President and CEO Ramon S. Ang announced.

SMC has multiple investments in Bulacan, including the MRT-7 project, the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply facility, and the P740-billion New Manila International Airport.

The conglomerate will desilt and remove solid wastes from polluted waterways in and around the province using its own resources, at no cost to the government and the people of Bulacan, he vowed.

Ang made the commitment to Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga in a recent meeting.

“Our Pasig River cleanup is almost complete (and) after about two years, we are nearing our target of 1.4 million tons of silt and waste removed. We have also started desilting and waste extraction activities at the Meycauayan River and Maycapiz/Taliptip River," he said.

This is part of SMC's plan to clean up rivers in the Bulakan-Obando-Meycauayan-Marilao-Bocaue-Guiguinto River System, which is critical to addressing flooding throughout the southern part of Bulacan, Ang explained.

SMC’s flood mitigation program for Bulacan initially covered rivers surrounding the future site of the New Manila International Airport.

However, upon the request of local government units of Bulacan, SMC expanded the program to other tributaries outside of the Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System (MMORS), one of the dirtiest places in the world.

“I am confident that with this project, we can increase the carrying capacity of our rivers and help solve flooding once and for all,” said Ang.

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