TINUTULAN ni Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) Executive Director Jose Antonio “Pepeton” E. Goitia ang panawagan ng mga miyembro ng Makabayan bloc sa Kamara ng mga Representante na ipagpaliban ang rehabilitasyon ng Manila Bay habang hindi pa nailalatag ang komprehensibong pag-aaral kaugnay sa magiging implikasyon nito sa informal settler families (ISFs).
Nilinaw ni Goitia na ang rehabilitasyon ng Manila Bay, tulad ng rehabilitasyon ng Pasig River ay matagal nang nasimulan ngunit may mabagal na suporta ng publiko partikular sa ISFs.
“As soon as the public learned of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order to rehabilitate the Manila Bay, a tributary of the Pasig River and vice-versa, more people are now volunteering in our fight to clean and to protect our waterways,” ani Goitia. “Likewise, more and more ISFs are becoming willing to self-dismantle their settlements and to be relocated.”
Pinabulaanan din ni Goitia na walang maayos na malilipatan ang mga ISF dahil tumatalima sila sa utos ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na “walang demolisyon kung walang relokasyon.”
“Said families have long been living in danger given their high exposure to waterborne diseases, and their inhumane conditions have made them vul-nerable to committing illegal activities. With that, their relocation is a top priority in the process of rehabilitating the Manila Bay, the Pasig River and all our waterways in the Metro,” diin ni Goitia. “If only they (Makabayan bloc) consulted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources or the PRRC, they would know that all their recommendations have long been addressed.”
Nilinaw rin ni Goitia na makikita ang rehabilitation master plan sa pamamagitan ng freedom of information electronic portal. “Postponement of the rehabilitation can never be an option because it will surely lead to the death of Manila Bay and the Pasig River as well as to the prolonged exposure of the ISFs to inhumane conditions,” dagdag ni Goitia. “Instead, we respectfully call for them to join us in the ‘Battle for Manila Bay’. Puso Para sa Ilog Pasig at Laban Para sa Look ng Maynila.”
