“I ask all our kababayans to please help take care of our rivers because they are critical to our health and the health of our environment, economy, and communities. The job of making our rivers better is not just the government’s or the private sector’s responsibility. What happens to our rivers affects us all, so we all have a role to play.”

These words from San Miguel Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang (RSA) is a clarion call for all of us to do our share in ensuring the sustainability of our bodies of water even as the conglomerate is undertaking the rehabilitation of major rivers.

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is among the private entities involved in the rehabilitation of major rivers notably in Luzon. Its environmental protection programs related to bodies of water are very visible and have yielded positive impact not only on the environment but also on the lives of the communities residing nearby.

It was in 2020 when SMC initiated the revival of major river systems.  For decades many of the country’s rivers are adversely affected by siltation and pollution. These became receptacles of garbage—from biodegradable to non-biodegradable.

The beneficiary rivers were dredged, desilted, deepened and widened to improve their water-carrying capacities as well as reduce foul odor emanating from the rivers. Along with the rehabilitation works comes the revival of marine life in the rivers.

One of the most recent rivers to be rehabilitated by SMC is the Biñan River in Laguna. It is one of the tributary rivers of Laguna de Bay and is one of three rivers of the Biñan micro watershed. Biñan River’s headwater originates from the eastern slopes of the Cavite highlands.

Last month, in less than a year, SMC completed the Biñan River clean-up. According to SMC a total of 87,899 tons of silt and solid waste were removed from 3.2 kilometers stretch of the Biñan River from the mouth of Laguna Lake near Barangay Dela Paz to Barangay Poblacion.

Barangays located nearby had long struggled with recurring floods during the rainy season and high tide, and whenever there is strong rainfall. But with the river clean-up, residents witnessed how floodwaters drained faster into the river.

Four teams equipped with backhoes and barges were dispatched by SMC for the river clean-up. Cranes were also utilized in portions where barges could not manuever. In prior years, SMC also conducted clean-up activities at San Isidro River in San Pedro, Laguna that resulted in the extraction of 417,044 tons of silt and waste from its 5- kilometer stretch. According to reports, SMC’s river clean-up is back in San Pedro for the Tunasan and Landayan Rivers.

 “I am very happy that our river clean-up initiative marked another achievement in Laguna, through the help and cooperation of the local government and our other partners,” RSA said.

The river rehabilitation program of SMC is through its Better Rivers Ph which as of March 12 this year has covered 157. 29 kilometers of waterways, and removed  8,248,254 metric tons of silt and solid waste.

The rehabilitation program is at no cost to government. SMC conducts aerial, topographic and bathymetric surveys of the rivers, before plotting the course of action in every river that will be rehabilitated.

 In the list of rivers that have benefited from SMC’s river initiative are Tullahan, Pasig and San Juan in Metro Manila where 1.12 tons of silt and waste were extracted  from 10.9 km  of the  Tullahan River; 1.18 tons from 26 km  of the Pasig River;  and 322,739 tons from 7.61 km of the San Juan River.

In Central Luzon, 694,372 tons of silt and waste were removed from 26.3 km of the Pampanga River; and 4.13 tons from 74.75 km of the Bulacan River System.

Synchronous with the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by NNIC, a subsidiary of SMC, is the conduct of river clean-up activities of  Parañaque River near Barangay Tambo, Don Galo River, and Villanueva Creek near Barangay La Huerta located near the airport. A total of 139,158 metric tons of waste and silt have been removed from a stretch of 3 kilometers to lessen flooding in the area.

RSA said “Protecting NAIA from flooding is a long-term investment in safety and reliability.”

Rehabilitating rivers manifests SMC’s malasakit to the country and the Filipino people. It is SMC’s legacy to future generations who will inherit Mother Earth. On another note, RSA is warning the public against online scammers who are using his name and even his picture to entice the public and dupe them into fraudulent investment schemes. He emphasized: “Please don’t fall for these. I am not endorsing any investment schemes. I do not promote, support, or take part in any kind of online investment offer.”