THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) in Pampanga, is now hosting a photo exhibit at the SM City Pampanga on its efforts on rehabilitating Manila Bay.
The exhibit, which opened on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, showcased the activities of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program of Penro-Pampanga. This also serves as an Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign for mall-goers as restrictions are eased. The exhibit dubbed Challenges and Victories in Saving Manila Bay, will run until Sunday, November 21.
Penro-Pampanga head Laudemir Salac said the program of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation will not slow down and will continue moving forward until the quality of the rivers of Pampanga are restored.
“Battles have their own challenges and the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program of the DENR has no exemption from unmanaged wastes disposal, violators and even the carelessness of people resulting in the deterioration of our river systems. Every single day we battle against waste pollution, a grueling battle that seems to be never-ending,” Salac said.
More than 19,000 sacks of wastes have been collected as of this writing and more than 130 kilometers of waterways have been cleaned from the start of 2021 to present. Trash traps set on the rivers of Pampanga and the grubbing activities of the Manila Bay Unit also contributed to the collection of 2, 200 cubic meters of wastes.
Gracing the event were no less than the Undersecretary for Field Operations and Environment, Undersecretary Lawyer Juan Miguel Cuna and Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns, Undersecretary Benny Antiporda and the Regional Executive Director of DENR-Central Luzon, Engineer Paquito T. Moreno, Jr., who affirmed their full support to the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Project of DENR Penro-Pampanga.