San Miguel Corp. cleaned up the Biñan River in Biñan City in less than a year.

ALL cleaned up is the Biñan River in Biñan City, Laguna.

It freed up the clogged waterway of nearly 88,000 tons of silt and solid waste that worsened flooding in the city.

Its Better Rivers PH initiative covered a 3.2-kilometer stretch of the river from the mouth of Laguna Lake near Barangay Dela Paz to downtown Barangay Poblacion in less than seven months.

Hundreds of families live in the area and have been tormented by lingering floodwaters during the wet season.

“Dati po matagal bago humupa ang baha. Nitong Pasko (December 2024), may malakas na ulan pero hindi na umakyat ang tubig dito. ‘Yung ilang lugar na binaha, mabilis nang bumababa ang tubig,” recalled Herminigildo Aguilar, 64, a councilman or kagawad in Barangay Poblacion. “Maluwag na ang ilog, mas mabilis nang umaagos ang tubig.”

(Floodwater used to linger for days. But after a heavy downpour last Christmas, water from the river did not swell into the coastal village and floodwater from the rain drained faster to the river)

The program has been moving from one river system to another since 2020, restoring the natural depth and breadth of river channels in Metro Manila and Luzon at zero-cost to government. By clearing silt and garbage, the initiative has helped mitigate flooding, eased water flow, and improved water quality.

The voluntary effort by SMC reached Biñan River in August last year through close coordination with Mayor Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila Jr. who identified an area in Barangay Malaban as the LGU’s collection point for the extracted wastes and silt from the river.

Jeorge Total, 49, SMC team leader for the cleanup, said four teams equipped with backhoes and barges were deployed to do the job. 

“Grabe ang basura nung dumating kami dito. Nagpulo-pulo na. Hindi kami makakain sa tabi kasi talagang mabaho. Ngayon wala ka nang maamoy,” Total said.

(When we arrived, the garbage was unimaginable – mounds of them above water. We could not eat our meals because of the stink. Now, you won’t smell anything)

A challenge for the cleanup crews were narrow sections of the river in the city proper where barges carrying the backhoes could not maneuver, so cranes had to make a tight entry through the city to reach the riverbanks, Total said.

Upon completion last Feb. 28, the initiative removed a total of 87,899 tons of silt and garbage from the Biñan River through a winding stretch of 3.2 kilometers. The largest volume removed was at the mouth of the river in Laguna Lake, where the natural river channel was practically blocked going out to the lake. 

“I am very happy that our river cleanup initiative marked another achievement in Laguna, through the help and cooperation of the local government and our other partners,” said SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.

 “I ask all our kababayans (countrymen) to please help take care of our rivers because they are critical to our health and the health of our environment, economy, and communities. The job of making our rivers better is not just the government’s or the private sector’s responsibility. What happens to our rivers affects us all, so we all have a role to play,” he said.