BALANGA CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Bataan office led by PENR office chief Raul H. Mamac will lead on Sunday the Bataan leg of the Manila Bay Clean-up and Rehabilitation Region 3 Launching to be held in Barangay Lucanin, Mariveles, Bataan on Sunday, January 27.
Mamac said in an interview that the said activity will be Bataan’s part to DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu’s call to fully rehabilitate Manila Bay.
Sec. Cimatu in a media interview last Monday urged government offices, including the local governments, around Manila Bay to set a good example to private establishments—residential and commercial one as part of the compliance with the Clean Water Act and Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. (Republic Act 9003).
PIA Bataan led by Jose Mari Garcia reported Wednesday that around 1,000 volunteers from various government agencies, local government units, academes, business sector and civil society organizations will join the event which include coastal clean-up and mangrove planting.
Mamac also urged business owners to voluntarily demolish their establishments that were illegally built along coastal ares in the province.
The PIA report added that during the Manila Bay Clean-up and Rehabilitation Region 3 Launching meeting yesterday, Mamac said President Rodrigo Duterte directed the DENR to stictly enforce environmental laws and penalize violators.
Sec. Cimatu added that various government offices, particularly those in the Manila Bay area, must ensure that they are connected to sewer lines or have their own sewage treatment plants for proper wastewater disposal. He also reminded them to manage their solid waste to minimize garbage that end up in landfills or oceans.
Cimatu lamented that solid waste is still a huge problem due to non-segregation, rampant use of single-use plastic products and improper waste disposal.
The DENR chief warned establishments that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would clamp down on all establishments discharging untreated wastewater either directly into the Manila Bay or into esteros and rivers leading to the bay. –Photos courtesy of PIA-Bataan