SENATOR Cythia Villar said Monday, September 24, that water quality at the Manila Bay is five times worse compared to 10 years ago, when the Supreme Court (SC) ordered 13 national and local government agencies to clean it.

“We failed but this does not mean that we should remain a failure forever,” Villar said before members and stakeholders of the coastal cleanup drive hosted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Lubao town.

The activity was part of the initiative to clean waterways and tributaries of the Manila Bay. The river in Lubao town is one of the tributaries that feed water into Manila Bay.

Villar said the quality of water at the Manila Bay has yet to show signs of improvement based on recent tests.

She said efforts to help clean the bay should be intensified.

A growing concern now, according to Villar, is the sheer volume of plastic waste that ends up in the Manila Bay. She said plastic producers and users should have greater accountability in the production and use of plastic.

Villar said a proposed law is now in the Senate that aims to ban the one-time use of plastic. She said that there should also be measures to recycle plastic and greater effort to educate people on recycling practices.

The lawmaker lauded the efforts of the BFAR under the Malinis and Masaganang Karagatan (MMK) program.

The program aims to recognize outstanding initiatives and contributions of coastal municipalities and cities in protecting and conserving their marine environment.

Villar later joined Governor Lilia Pineda, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Lubao Mayor Mylyn Cayabyab in planting mangrove trees and removing trash from the Lubao River.