San Miguel Corporation (SMC) launched its Butuanon River cleanup in Mandaue City, Cebu, expanding the company’s long-running Better Rivers PH program in support of the government’s Oplan Kontra Baha initiative.
The project will cover a four-kilometer section of the river from its mouth, where heavy siltation and waste buildup have restricted water flow to the Mactan Channel.
The Butuanon River was among the waterways that overflowed in November 2025 during Typhoon Tino, which brought more than a month’s worth of rain and caused widespread flooding in Mandaue.
SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said the company will undertake the cleanup at no cost to the government, following the flooding experienced by residents.
“Mandaue has long been home to San Miguel and to generations of our employees, and we are glad to support the government in this effort to help reduce flooding and protect communities,” Ang said.
SMC, which operates several major facilities in Mandaue, is implementing the project in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which leads Oplan Kontra Baha, and the Mandaue City government.
The project was launched at the Eco Learning Center inside the San Miguel Eco Park in Mandaue. Those in attendance included Mandaue Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano, Rep. Emmarie Ouano-Dizon, DPWH Undersecretary Charles Calima, other officials of DPWH and the Mandaue City government, and representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. SMC was represented by Jimmy O. Lu, vice president and overall project manager of Better Rivers PH, San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMBI) Plant Manager Villamor Tuazon, and representatives of other SMC businesses operating in the city.
SMBI, which operates the SMB Mandaue Brewery, will provide at least six excavators and several barges for the project. The equipment will be used to remove silt, waste and soil deposits that have reduced the river’s capacity, based on initial assessments by SMC. The company said the Butuanon River has conditions similar to several heavily silted rivers it has previously cleaned. Its mouth has been blocked by silt and waste, limiting outflow to the Mactan Channel, while upstream soil deposits could eventually contribute to renewed blockage downstream if not removed.
Since 2020, SMC has removed nearly 9.2 million metric tons of silt and waste from more than 190 kilometers of river channels at no cost to government and taxpayers.
The work has covered the Tullahan, Pasig, San Juan, Pampanga and Meycauayan rivers, as well as waterways in Bulacan, Laguna, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas and Parañaque. SMC has also continued maintenance cleanups in previously cleared waterways to help sustain their flood-carrying capacity.
“Our work in other rivers has shown that cleanup has to go beyond what people see on the surface. The important part is removing the buildup that has made the river narrower and shallower over time, so it can carry more water during heavy rains,” Ang said. “With our facilities, people and equipment already in Mandaue, we wanted to put that experience to work in support of the city and its communities.”
