A total of 4,255,398 million tons of silt and waste were removed during the massive cleanup in the rivers of Bulacan.
The cleanup was conducted by San Miguel Corporation (SMC), SMC Chairman and Executive Officer (CEO) Ramon S. Ang said the river cleanup initiative is already in its second year.
SMC's river cleanup in Guiguinto River junction at the Mailad-Sta Maria River junction in Bocaue, Bulacan. (Photo courtesy of SMC)
The wastes removed are from rivers in Taliptip-Maycapiz-Bambang, Meycauayan, Marilao, and Mailad-Sta. Maria, Guiguinto, Balagtas, Pamarawan, Kalero, and Labangan-Angat Rivers.
Ang said the total volume of wastes and silt they have removed is almost twice the combined volume they extracted from the Pasig and Tullahan rivers.
With the Bulacan cleanup nearing its end, SMC is setting its sights on the Pampanga River and looking to expand cleanup efforts in Binan, Laguna, and Paranaque City.
Ang stressed the importance of desilting and clearing obstructions in rivers to mitigate flooding, which has worsened due to factors like low-lying geography, deforestation, garbage clogging waterways, rising sea levels, land subsidence, and excessive fishponds.
The project is part of SMC's "Better Rivers PH" advocacy and comes at no cost to the government or taxpayers. It has been running since 2020 and previously covered the Tullahan, Pasig, and San Juan rivers in Metro Manila, among others.
Recently, Metro Manila and nearby provinces experienced widespread flooding due to unprecedented heavy rainfall brought on by typhoon Carina. While flooding was experienced in many areas, Ang said the situation could have been a lot worse, had it not been for their completed river cleanup efforts, which effectively increased the carrying capacity of rivers and ensured their continuous flow.