TONY MAGHIRANG

Bataan and Pampanga.

The project does not stop at removing garbage from the bay. The City of Manila Phase 1 calls for the clean- up of esteros , reduction of coliform level and the start of relocation of hundreds of thousands of informal setters.

Phase 2 will entail the rehabilitation of old sewage lines and construction of sewage treatment facilities by concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water. The third phase is for sustained law enforcement and monitoring, continuing education and information campaign and completion of infrastructures in earlier stages of the project.

Curiously, the term organized community participation is nowhere to be found in the news releases nor on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( DENR) website and its attached agencies. Why quibble? One, it’s because community organizing is a proven weapon to win the hearts and minds of stakeholders to sustain victory through the succeeding generations. Two, DENR, the lead agency of the Manila Bay rehabilitation project, has the experience in community participation with the various successes in its agro- forestry and aquatic resources development program over the years.

As it is, the Manila Bay project looks spearheaded by the usual triumvirate of local government intervention, the iron

- cial might of big business. The few times the human factor is mentioned refer to the removal of informal settlers from the scene and their typically problematic transfer aka dumping in other areas. In this regard, a number of municipalities in Rizal province have been heard to be crafting local legislation to stop national government agencies from designating them as relocation sites.

The adoption of technology in environmental programs is well and good. Let’s not just miss the opportunity to also gather the affected communities around the undertaking and strengthen their participation in

better environment.