MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has beefed up the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) in a bid to hasten the clean-up of the body of water that serves as a repository of much of Metro Manila’s waste and, ironically, as the foreground to one of the most spectacular sunsets in the world.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje has issued DENR Administrative Order No. 2011-01 titled “Strengthening the Manila Bay Coordinating Office” which puts the office under the supervision of the DENR secretary.
Prior to the order, the MBCO was part of the DENR’s River Basin Control Office which oversees the integrated planning, management, rehabilitation and development of all the country’s river basins.
“The objective of this organizational reform is to ensure that appropriate focus will be given to the delivery of obligations of the DENR to clean up Manila Bay, as ordered by the Supreme Court,” said Paje. He designated Noel V. Gaerlan to head the MBCO.
Under the administrative order, the MBCO will coordinate the participation of various agencies in the bay’s rehabilitation, restoration and conservation. It would also lead in the planning, monitoring and review of all related activities and their progress, as well as in the preparation of reports required by the DENR and the Supreme Court.
“AO 2011-01 is one of the strategies under the operational plan for Manila Bay that allows us to formulate and implement policies and institutional mechanisms for the bay’s sustainable development. It reflects a more cohesive collaboration among all partners involved, in both the national and local levels,” Paje said.
In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that the DENR had a mandate to clean up Manila Bay, well-known for its dramatic sunsets and bay cruises. The case stemmed from a complaint filed by residents living near the bay who accused the government of neglecting to clean it up.
In its ruling, the SC ordered the upgraded reclassification of the bay’s water quality to Class SB to make its waters safe for swimming, skin-diving and other forms of water recreation.
At present, the DENR said Manila Bay’s waters are classified as Class SC, which means it is only fit for recreational activities such as boating.
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Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
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