City of San Fernando, Pampanga — Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda lauded the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) for its ongoing river cleanup efforts, which aim to alleviate flooding in Pampanga.
This came during a project briefing presented by SMC at the Executive House, Capitol Building, on Monday, September 2.
Governor Delta stressed the significant impact of SMC’s initiative, especially in addressing flooding challenges in the province.
“Malaking tulong po ito para mabigyan ng solusyon ang baha sa probinsiya” said Gov. Delta.
He also expressed his gratitude to SMC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang for his support and for bringing in advanced dredging equipment to ensure the success of the project.
Before the briefing, SMC representatives met with Macabebe Mayor Leonardo Flores to discuss the project’s initial implementation. Jaime Lu, SMC Operations Manager, shared that the local government of Macabebe has committed to assisting in identifying potential sites for sediment disposal along the river.
The dredging operations officially commenced on August 23, with SMC already clearing 43,509 cubic meters of silt and debris from the Pampanga River.
According to Lu, the project is part of SMC’s ongoing “Better River Philippines” program, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative that has been running for over four years. SMC has previously undertaken similar efforts in the Tullahan River, Pasig River, San Juan River, and various rivers in Bulacan.
Lu added that the Pampanga River stretches about 26 kilometers from Manila Bay to NLEX. SMC is focusing on the first 10 kilometers, particularly in the areas of Macabebe and Masantol, where some sections of the river are less than one meter deep. By increasing the depth to at least four meters, SMC aims to improve the river’s capacity to handle large volumes of water, thereby mitigating flood risks during heavy rainfall