SMC wants to ‘revive’ Pasig River

SAn Miguel Corp. (SMC) plans to “revive” the Pasig River through a cleanup drive that is part of its P95.4-billion Pasig River Expressway (Parex) project. Ramon S. Ang, the company’s president, said Parex is a “solution within a solution,” as it will not only help alleviate traffic congestion in Metro Manila, but will also bring back to life the “biologically dead” Pasig River.

“Of all the projects we have done, this will perhaps be among the most challenging, and at the same time, the most fulfilling. not only will we be building a much-needed direct link between eastern and western Metro Manila, but we will also be leading a historic effort to bring the Pasig River back to health,” he said.

Parex entails the construction of a 19.40-kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway along the banks of the river. This requires the river bed to be dredged and cleared of decades of debris and garbage, to attain its optimum depth and ensure the constant flow of water.

It will also help address flooding in Metro Manila, he added. “For so many decades, even when I was young, the Pasig River had been synonymous to pollution. Many Filipinos have long wanted to clean it and revive it, bring it back to its old glory.

There were even high-profile fund-raising projects and similar initiatives to clean it. But unfortunately, not much has changed,” Ang said.

Parex will start from Radial Road 10 (R10) in the City of Manila and end at a connection to the South East Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME), otherwise known as Circumferential Road 6 (C6). It is seen to reduce travel time from Manila to Rizal to just 15 minutes.

From R10, or the port area, it will have entry and exit points at the University Belt area, San Juan, Buendia, Mandaluyong, Makati, Rockwell, Edsa, Pioneer St., Bonifacio Global City, C5, before terminating at C6.

It is aims to provide an alternative and faster access to the country’s largest business districts—makati, Ortigas, and Bonifacio Global City.