Conglomerate San Miguel Corporation’s massive and long-running flood mitigation initiative, Better Rivers Ph, is firing on all cylinders in the south — with simultaneous river cleanups ongoing at various rivers in Laguna, Alabang, and now, Las Pinas city.
SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said that since September 1, its cleanup teams had started cleaning up Las Piñas River, starting at its mouth in Manila Bay, and moving upstream. This is upon the request of the Las Piñas City government in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
In just over a month, the effort has already yielded over 30,000 tons of silt and waste from just a 280-meter section where water flows out to the Manila Bay. This also enables the creation of an access channel for equipment to reach upstream areas.
A bathymetric survey was conducted to determine the river’s depth profile, and identify heavily silted areas. At the river’s mouth, both the bathymetric survey and ocular inspection showed that it is completely blocked by silt and garbage. Also, half of the river channel in the first 2 kilometers moving upstream has become very shallow — only waist to knee deep.
At the Pulanglupa Bridge, a water pipeline and trash traps with significant solid waste accumulation was also seen obstructing the river channel.
“We are just in the beginning stages of the cleanup of the Las Piñas River, but rest assured to our kababayans in Las Piñas — we will do our very best. We will continue working with the local government, to make sure this major river is cleared and flowing properly. This is not an easy task, so we ask for both your patience and cooperation — so that we, especially our teams on the ground, can do our part to help ease flooding in your city,” Ang said.
Recently, Las Piñas City Mayor April Aguilar and Rep. Mark Santos, together with other local government and barangay officials, conducted an ocular inspection of the cleanup operation and were pleased by the progress.
The cleanup of Las Piñas River is but the latest in the now five-years-and-counting “Better Rivers PH” initiative and advocacy of SMC, to desilt and clean major rivers in Metro Manila and Luzon, to help mitigate flooding.
The initiative, part of SMC’s wide-ranging corporate social responsibility efforts, is now easily the largest and longest-running river cleanup initiative by any private entity in the country. It has removed, thus far, over 8.6 million metric tons of silt and waste from 166 kilometers of river channels — and comes at entirely no cost to government and taxpayers.
In Laguna, where the company has been cleaning multiple rivers since August 2023, it also recently expanded its coverage to include the Landayan River in San Pedro. Since September 10, it has removed over 9,300 tons of silt and waste from a section of the river.
This builds on its earlier efforts to clean the San Isidro River, in San Pedro; Biñan River and Tunasan River, from which it removed 568,000 tons of silt and waste from nearly 10 kilometers of river channels.
Ang said Better Rivers Ph teams also recently conducted maintenance cleanup at the San Isidro River’s mouth, toward Laguna de Bay. Debris coming from upstream areas as far as Cavite had been brought by heavy rainfall and typhoons to the area, shallowing this portion of the river.
With SMC’s intervention effort, stormwaters can again be efficiently channeled to the Laguna de Bay. However, Ang said that coastal towns in Laguna are still inherently at risk of flooding, especially when water levels at Laguna de Bay reach critical levels — further reason for the public, private sector, and government to work together on long-term solutions.
Meanwhile, also in the south, SMC’s cleaning up of the Alabang River at Barangays Alabang and Cupang in Muntinlupa, continues to progress, with 29,256 tons of wastes already removed as of October 7.
Currently, SMC is also conducting river cleanups in Parañaque City, particularly rivers surrounding the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It has also returned to sections of Tullahan River and San Juan River that have shallowed out due to the accumulation of silt, construction debris, and garbage — 3 years after being cleaned up.
