The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) yesterday said the Pasig River development project will seek private sector funding and congressional allotment to ensure it will come into fruition during this administration.
Jose Rizalino Acuzar, secretary of DHSUD and lead proponent of the project, told the Laging Handa public briefing unlike previous attempts of past administrations to transform Pasig River, this development will not be patchy but will be holistic as it will integrate all components of the river system: from housing, to commercial centers to leisure.
Acuzar said the project has initially started with a 25-hectare housing project in North Harbor for informal settler families (ISFs).
He said a showcase which will contain the specific details of the plan is being built at the back of the Main Post Office building.
He said the project will specifically tackle the “esteros” lining up the banks of the Pasig River all the way to Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay as well as the ISFs that have built homes in these areas.
He added consultations are also being done with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to ensure the development will preserve the historical and cultural values of the place.
Acuzar noted the huge impact of the development on tourism.
“We will have a pedestrian embankment using the Pasig River right-of-way connecting cities from Manila to Mandaluyong, Makati where the ambiance is water. This will connect to Chinatown which is famous for tourism. There will be shops and restaurants to be managed by private sector,” Acuzar said.
Acuzar is particularly proud of a Central Park to be built at the end of the Pasig River, which would complement the Luneta Park as a tourist attraction.
The Pasig Bigyan Buhay Muli Project was created by virtue of Executive Order 35 signed last July 25. The Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development recently presented to Malacanang its master plan for the project.
