By: Nino Aclan

Clean Rivers, a renowned global organization based in United Arab Emirates, is in the country for a three-day visit and is scheduled to tour the Pasig River together with the members of the inter-agency council for the Pasig River Urban Development on Thursday, according to Kathryna Yu-Pimentel, Special Envoy to the United Arab Emirates for Trade and Investments.

The delegation is composed of Clean River Board Member and Representative of the Presidential Court, Mr. Butti Almheiri; Ms. Deborah Backus, CEO of Clean Rivers; Ms. Salwa El Moussaoui, Director of Business Development; and Mr. Mujeeb Khan, Project Manager.

“The Abu Dhabi-based Clean Rivers is dedicated to addressing the critical issue of plastic waste in river systems through collaboration. Their visit is a big boost to the Marcos administration in its ongoing campaign to clean and revive the Pasig River,” Yu-Pimentel said in a statement.

Earlier today, the group, together with Yu-Pimentel, made a courtesy call on First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, where they discussed the first lady’s initiative dubbed as Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM).

Afterwards, the group met with the members of the inter-agency council for the Pasig River Urban Development in BGC. The inter-agency, created in 2023 by virtue of Executive Order No. 35, is composed of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Settlement, Metro Manila Development Authority, Department of Public Works and Highway, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation, Department of Finance, and Department of Budget and Management.

Also part of the inter-agency council are the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Philippine Ports Authority, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Laguna Lake Development Authority, and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.

The inter-agency council is tasked to facilitate and ensure the full rehabilitation of the banks along the Pasig River water system and nearby water systems.

Last June 2024, under the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM), the government constructed and inaugurated the Phase 1C of the Pasig River Urban Development Showcase Area in Intramuros, according to Yu-Pimentel.

Yu-Pimentel said the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli aligns with the Clean Rivers initiative, which aims to deliver projects that will tackle pollution in some of the most polluted rivers in the world.

“We need to get as many organizations as possible on board to help us in the Pasig River Urban Development. I am hopeful that UAE-based Clean Rivers will help us in this endeavor,” Yu-Pimentel said.

“Clean Rivers has been instrumental in initiating and supporting river rehabilitation projects around the globe. Your initiatives have transformed various waterways, making them cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable,” Yu-Pimentel emphasized.

Yu-Pimentel cited some of the successful river rehabilitation from which the Philippines takes inspirations, such as the rehabilitation of the Seine River in France, once declared biologically dead in 1960, but now stands as a venue for the ongoing 2024 Summer Olympics, as well as the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand.

“These success stories and the global initiatives led by Clean Rivers serve as inspiration for our endeavors. It gives us hope that even the most polluted rivers can be revived. We have been longing to see the Pasig River, thriving once more,” Yu-Pimentel said.