116,000 tons of trash cleared from San Juan River
Published Jul 17, 2026 04:42 pm
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) announced Friday, July 17, that it is nearing completion of its maintenance cleanup of the San Juan River, having removed more than 116,000 metric tons of waste and silt over the past 10 months to improve water flow and reduce flooding in San Juan, Manila, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City.
Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City (Photos from SMC)
Barangay Doña Imelda, Quezon City. (Photos from SMC)
Barangay Batis, San Juan City. (Photos from SMC)
SMC resumed its cleanup of the San Juan River in September after monitoring showed waste had accumulated in the waterway traversing Mandaluyong, Manila, and San Juan.
As of now, the company said 116,157 metric tons of waste and silt have been removed along 6.1 kilometers of the waterway, from the Pasig River junction to Talayan, Quezon City. It said this reflects SMC's commitment to preserving the gains of its river rehabilitation efforts.
Prior to the current maintenance cleanup, the company removed about 322,000 metric tons of silt and waste from the San Juan River's entire 7.6-kilometer stretch during its 2022–2024 cleanup.
SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said regular maintenance cleanups are a key component of the Better Rivers PH initiative.
“Even if we have restored rivers to their natural depth, flow, and water-carrying capacity, improper waste disposal can aggravate silt buildup,” Ang said.
“At no cost to [the] government and in coordination with local authorities, we will continue to monitor and ensure that these waterways are cleared of obstructions so they can carry floodwaters efficiently, especially during the rainy season,” he added.
The cleanup of the river forms part of SMC’s continuing support for the government’s flood mitigation drive, including the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) Oplan Kontra Baha, which was launched by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. last year.
In line with that, Better Rivers PH started last month its first cleanup operations in the Visayas, deploying dredging teams to remove waste and silt from a four-kilometer section of the Butuanon River in Mandaue City, Cebu, where the buildup has restricted water flow to the Mactan Channel.
“Maintenance cleanup operations continue along the Tullahan River, removing 177,384 metric tons of debris along a 6.4-km stretch; the Bulacan River System, clearing it of 723,393 metric tons of waste and silt through 13.38 km; and Laguna rivers, where 107,192 metric tons have been cleared from 2 km of waterways,” the company explained.
Meanwhile, rehabilitation work continues in the Parañaque, Las Piñas, Alabang, Tabang, and Tanza river systems.
SMC stated that over the past six years, the cleanup initiative has covered 201.27 kilometers of river channels and removed about 9.3 million metric tons of waste and silt.