First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos is now acting on one of her advocacies as she volunteered to help the Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development in their efforts to clean up Pasig River.

Housing Secretary Jose Acuzar said this as they began planning to rehabilitate the river.

In a public briefing, Acuzar said that Marcos volunteered to help the Council as efforts to clean up Pasig River continue to bear no fruit.

"Sinabi niya sa akin na iyong Pasig River ay matagal nang hindi… at madumi pa rin at ganoon pa rin ang itsura (She told me that the Pasig River has been like this. It's still dirty and looks the same)," he said.

"Kung maaari daw ay may magawa siyang paraan para mapaganda natin iyong Pasig River (She asked if there was anything she could do to help rehabilitate Pasig River)," he added.

Acuzar, however, clarified that Marcos did not want to join the organization but just to lend a hand in the rehabilitation efforts.

"Advocacy niya iyan. Gustung-gusto niyang maayos iyan (It's her advocacy. She really wants to fix that place)," he said.

"Ayaw niya pong sumali sa organisasyon; ang gusto niya lang ay tumulong (She doesn't want to join the Council. She just wants to help)," he added.

In an interview with Tatler Asia, the First Lady listed the Pasig River rehabilitation as one of her top priorities. She hoped to make the Pasig River an attraction like the Thames in England or the Seine in France: "arteries of commerce, lifestyle, tourism and culture, and drawing visitors from home and overseas."

A Facebook post showed Marcos joining the Council's first meeting in Malacañang on Aug. 23.

The Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development was formed through Executive Order (EO) No. 35. It will facilitate and ensure the complete rehabilitation of the banks along the Pasig River and nearby water systems.

Pasig River families

According to Acuzar, First Lady Marcos has shown her sincerity in not only improving the river's condition but also in helping the families living there.

"Isa sa magandang programa po ng ating mahal na Pangulo at ng ating Unang Ginang na ayusin iyong buhay ng mga tao diyan sa Pasig River (One of the good programs of the President and the First Lady is to improve the lives of the people there at the Pasig River)," he said.

"Kapag naayos na, natanggal po natin iyong mga ISF diyan ay gagawin po natin magandang promenade iyan (Once we've removed the informal settler families there, we will create a beautiful promenade)," he added.

The Housing Secretary said there would be housing projects at the North Harbor in Manila for the families affected by the Pasig River rehabilitation efforts.

"May 25 hectares po diyan na nag-uumpisa na rin po na maggawa ng pabahay (There are 25 hectares of land there and we're already starting to build houses there)," he said.

Ensure the project's success

Acuzar said Marcos is joining the cleanup efforts to ensure these will bear fruit. He noted that previous administrations have attempted to clean up Pasig River to no avail.

"Sinasabi niya, siguraduhin natin na ito naman ay may mangyari na at hindi ito kuwento lang at hindi drawing (She tells me that we must ensure that we'll get results and we're not just talk)," he said.

"Sinisigurado po ng ating Pangulo at Unang Ginang na itong proyektong ito ay hindi drawing at ito ay maging katotohanan (Our President and First Lady are ensuring we'll walk the talk when it comes to this project)," he added.

According to Acuzar, the attempts of previous administrations failed because they did not look at the bigger picture.

"Dito po sa bagong programa po ng Pasig River, kumpleto po iyan – hindi lang po iyong pabahay at hindi lang din po iyong mga estero (In this new Pasig River program, it's complete— it's not just the housing or the ditches)," he said.

"Kinumpleto po namin kasi hindi pupuwedeng ang gagawin mo isa-isa lang eh (We're making sure it's complete because you cannot do it one-by-one)," he added.

The plans

Acuzar said they would build a Central Park at the end of the Pasig River by the Laguna de Bay, where they could put up installation art.

He, however, assured the public that the Council would preserve the Pasig River's cultural value and that everything in their plan would be approved by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

"Bago po namin ginagawa, humihingi po kami sa kanila ng suggestion or approval (Before we start, we seek their suggestion or approval)," he said.

"Natutuwa naman po ang NCCA na makagawa tayo ng isang magandang park at malaking park sa buong Pilipinas (The NCCA is happy that we'll be able to build a beautiful park and big parks in the Philippines)," he added.

For now, Acuzar said they are building a 500-meter showcase at the back of the Post Office in Manila to show the public what could be the result of this administration's Pasig River cleanup efforts.

He added that they plan to finish building the showcase before Christmas this year.

"Isipin ninyo iyong pedestrian, ambiance mo iyong tubig (Imagine, you are a pedestrian there and the river would provide the ambiance)," Acuzar said.

"Sa ilalim po niyan ay mayroon po tayong mga kainan at mga shops na puwedeng gawin, at para private sector na rin po ang mag-maintain nitong development na ito (We could have food stalls or shops there. These developments could be maitained by the private sector)," he added.
 

The budget

The Housing Secretary said that the budget is fluid as the rehabilitation efforts are still in the planning stage.

"Ang hirap nito, iyang funding eh, talagang aaralin mo iyong pondo (Funding is difficult because you really need to study it)," he said.

"Makikipag-usap tayo sa lahat ng puwedeng magbigay ng pondo – iyong private sector; pangalawa, iyong Kongreso (We'll talk to everyone who could provide help in the funding— the private sector and the Congress)," he added.