Pasig ferry to add 17 stations ahead of cleanup
THE GOVERNMENT will add 17 stations to the Pasig River ferry service to make it a more viable transport option while building awareness and support for the river’s rehabilitation, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the government hopes to develop river transport to build a base of support among commuters for the river cleanup.
“We feel that embracing this ferry service will motivate people to clean up the Pasig River. A big part of this will be with the help of LGU ( local government unit) officials,” Mr. Diokno said during a media briefing yesterday.
The current river ferry service has 12 stations.
“Plans are to really have a comfortable, predictable and reliable ferry system. Right now it’s spotty. You don’t know whether you’ll arrive on schedule,” Mr. Diokno said.
“We want it to be regular, every 15 minutes, you have a ferry… and when I say comfortable, I want it air-conditioned,” he added.
Mr. Diokno said that the government aims to start construction of terminals and procurement of boats “before the onset of the Christmas season,” since “there’s tremendous traffic during that season.
According to Julia C. Nebrija, who manages the DBM’s assistance to cities program and served as an official with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the first stations for construction this year are sites near Quinta market in Quiapo, Manila; an unspecified location in Pasig City; and a third site by the Circuit in Makati.
She said that the plan is for the procurement of 24 new boats with a 50-person seating capacity. Overall, the service is designed to accommodate about 76,000 commuters daily.
The government expects to build or rehabilitate all 29 stations before the government steps down in 2022, although “the bulk” of the work can be finished by 2019 or 2020.
Mr. Diokno said that the DBM will ask President Rodrigo R. Duterte to sign an Executive Order institutionalizing the Pasig River Ferry Convergence program — to have all proposals for the river’s rehabilitation and the development of its surrounding areas be evaluated by a central committee.
This committee will have representatives from 10 government agencies with a brief to improve the Pasig River, co- chaired by the DBM and MMDA, along with the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment, Department of Transportation, Department of Tourism, and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, among others.
“We’re asking the President to clarify the roles and responsibilities (of the agencies). When we assumed office, I saw that responsibilities have been dispersed. In fact, there are many proposals involving the Pasig River, and it’s hard to find an official to talk to who has a mandate. Hence, the convergence program,” he said.
Later in the day, the Cabinet approved the proposal for the Pasig River Ferry Convergence Program.
Mr. Diokno said that the committee will draft a master plan for the clean-up of the Pasig River, as well as the integration of ferry stops on the planned 10 new bridges crossing the river, creating walkways that link to public parks and other modes of transportation.
He added that the ferry service may eventually run from Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay, transiting the route in 45 minutes end to end.
“The revival of the Pasig River Ferry Service is expected to affect the Pasig River system and its surrounding communities, spurring economic activity, renewing interest and citizens’ sense of responsibility towards the river, and transforming this historic place into a multi-functional open space network and a life-support system for urban communities,” Mr. Diokno said.