THE flooding problem affects everyone — children and adults, in urban and rural areas, in plains and mountains — and engineering interventions by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have generally been of little help, not to mention made expensive by official corruption.
It is reassuring to know, however, that big business conglomerates, led by San Miguel Corp., are engaging in serious efforts to dredge our major rivers, their tributaries, and lakes. And they are doing it at their own expense because local residents living near the bodies of water are not the only ones benefiting from this flood mitigation effort. Their business projects in the area are also ensured against flood damage.
These dredging projects were implemented in the Tullahan River, Bulacan River, Pasig River, and in the tributaries of the Laguna Lake in the low-lying areas of the cities of Binan and San Pedro.
‘These people who do the work that many other workers would not do deserve our support and recognition.’
It will look like a slap in the face of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) if it would just stand and look while the private sector is busy spending millions of pesos and putting in quite a considerable effort to dredge the rivers of silt and other trash.
DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga has recognized the critical role of their “estero rangers and river warriors” in protecting the country’s waterways and the fight against climate change.
The department gave awards to the best performing estero rangers and river warriors — there are about 2,700 of them nationwide, cleaning our streams and rivers daily. Secretary Loyzaga praised the significant contribution of the workers and emphasized the need to expand support for their welfare, including access to training programs, scholarships, and healthcare services.
“We are looking into providing additional benefits, such as skills training through TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) and potential scholarship opportunities,” Loyzaga told reporters.
“Education will allow them to transform their capacities into other livelihood opportunities while continuing their advocacy for the environment,” she added.
Loyzaga said the DENR is assessing how to address the health concerns of the workers who are exposed daily to pollution and waste.
The DENR underscored the impact of their work, noting that as of December 2024, estero rangers have removed over 1.2 million sacks of water waste, equivalent to 38 million kilograms of waste, including 120,000 water lilies. The cleaning efforts covered 354 waterways and 488 villages in Metro Manila.
Since the program’s inception in 2019, the estero rangers and river warriors have been instrumental in rehabilitating Manila Bay and other key river systems. Beyond waste collection, these rangers serve as community educators who promote proper solid waste management and environmental responsibility. To boost their effectiveness, she said the DENR is looking at equipping the workers with modern cleanup technologies, such as trash-trap systems and water filtration solutions.
These people who do the work that many other workers would not do deserve our support and recognition.