The San Juan City local government, together with various agencies of the national government, on Monday, Jan. 15, inspected the banks of the San Juan River located in Barangay Batis for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority's (MMDA) "Neighborhood Upgrading (NU) Project: Beautification of San Juan River Easements" which is a part of the agency's environmental program.
DILG Sec. Benhur Abalos, DSHUD Sec. Jerry Acuzar, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, Metro Manila Council (MMC) President and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora discuss the rehabilitation plan for the easements of the San Juan River in Barangay Batis, San Juan City on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. The proposed plan aims to enhance the implementation of government initiatives such as the development of a linear park with the application of Nature-Based Solution concepts. (Manila Bulletin)
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora spearheaded the ocular inspection, together with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Benhur Abalos, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD) Sec. Jerry Acuzar, and officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
"The NU project is still part of MMDA’s environmental program wherein they tap local governments and partner with them to clean up and improve the overall banks along the Pasig River and its tributaries," Zamora said.
“We are always grateful to MMDA and are very open in partnering with them in projects that will help in cleaning up the San Juan River. We were already grateful that they have funded the rehabilitation of the El Polvorin Linear Park under its ‘Adopt-A-Park’ project which we inaugurated in 2022. Through that, we are able to give reverence to our heroes who sacrificed their lives for our country’s independence from Spain,” he added.
“Kami po ay gagawa ng Linear Park dito, diretso hanggang Manila hanggang Quezon City. Pagtutulung-tulungan naming i-develop ito. Kasi pag ito naging linear park, 8-kilometers ang haba ng San Juan River. Napakaganda pong showcase nito na pasyalan hindi lang ng mga taga-San Juan (We will be creating a Linear Park here all the way to Manila and Quezon City. We will work together to develop this and make it a reality. Once this area becomes a linear park, San Juan River will become 8-kilometers long and will be an excellent go-to place of not just San Juaneños but also other residents of Metro Manila)," Artes said.
The linear park will feature greeneries, a rain harvesting facility, and sewerage treatment plant to ensure that the water coming from the San Juan River to Pasig River is cleaner. It will also include a jogging path, walkway, and bike way that San Juaneños and citizens of Metro Manila will soon enjoy.
"We are very excited to partner in another beautification project with the MMDA, especially one that will greatly improve the way our linear park looks. We also wanted to create more open spaces for San Juaneños and in turn educate them in caring for the environment," the mayor said.
During the ocular visit, Abalos shared that this project is not just for the rehabilitation of San Juan River easements, but a 3-in-1 project that will address the Informal Settler Families (ISFs) staying near the riverbanks. First is the cleanup and dredging of San Juan River, followed by building linear parks that will connect the San Juan River, Pasig River, Laguna de Bay, and Manila Bay, and finally, building in-city social housing projects for ISFs.
“Bilang patunay na seryoso ang ating pangulo, ito na ang proyekto at dire-diretso pa dahil ito ang plano natin sa bawat LGU. Hindi lang Metro Manila ito, buong Pilipinas ito. Sa site na ito itatayo ang pabahay kaya maraming salamat Mayor Zamora, maraming salamat kay Sec. Jerry. Meron pang ibang sites na tinitignan at pinaplano. Sa intermodal transportation, ikakabit ito sa mga ferry. Pwede kang pumarada, mag-ferry ka na lang or mag-LRT ka (This project is proof of the president's seriousness in providing ISFs with their own homes. This is the site where the new housing structures will be built thanks to Mayor Zamora and Sec. Jerry. Aside from this, there are also other sites that are being planned and looked upon for the project. In terms of intermodal transportation, ferries will be connected here. You have the choice to just park, ride a ferry, or ride the LRT)," Abalos explained.
“Gaya ng nabanggit ng ating kalihim, 3-in-1 project ito. Unang-una, gagawin itong linear park sa tulong ng MMDA. Pangalawa, ipepresenta natin kay Sec. Acuzar ang tatlong lote na pwedeng tayuan ng ‘4PH Program’ o Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program at agad-agad na ia-approve ng DSUD yan upang masimulan na ang pabahay. Dahil ang San Juan River ay tributary ng Pasig River, angkop na angkop ito sa rehabilitation program ni Pangulong Marcos at First Lady Marcos sa kanilang pagbubuhay ng Pasig River. Kapag nalinis na natin ang San Juan River, pwede na natin lagyan ng esplanade, a utilizable 10-meter easement that can be a showcase to the country (Just like what our good secretary had said, this is a 3-in-1 project. First, this will be made into a linear park with the help from the MMDA. Second is our presentation of the three lots where the 4PH Program or Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program can be built. As San Juan River is a tributary of the Pasig River, this is an ideal spot for the president and the first lady's plan to further rehabilitate the Pasig River. Once the clean-up of San Juan River is done, we will be able to build an esplanade which is a utilizable 10-meter easement that can be a showcase to the country)," Zamora said.
He added he will present idle lands in the city that may be used as locations for these housing projects which include lands in Brgy. Batis, Brgy. Sta. Lucia, Brgy. and Corazon de Jesus. Meanwhile, aside from the San Juan River easement, the Ermitaño Creek will also be included in the rehabilitation plan.
San Juan River is one of the main river systems in Metro Manila and is a major tributary of the Pasig River. It begins near La Mesa Dam as the San Francisco del Monte River, which officially takes the name San Juan River when it meets with Mariblo Creek in Quezon City. As the San Juan River, it passes through Quezon City, San Juan, the Manila district of Santa Mesa and Santa Ana, and Mandaluyong.
It has five creeks as its main tributaries:
1. Buhangin Creek in Mandaluyong
2. Maytunas Creek in San Juan
3. Salapán Creek (also called Ermitaño Creek) in San Juan
4. Dilimán Creek in Quezon City
5. Mariblo Creek (sometimes called Talayan Creek and Tanque Creek; also spelt Mariablo) in Quezon City
The city government also regularly conducts cleaning, dredging, desilting, and desludging operations to ensure the cleanliness of the river and boost San Juaneños' awareness in the importance of the river and its tributaries.