DENR Bataan to spearhead Manila Bay rehabilitation forums

PILAR, Bataan -The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Bataan is spearheading the conduct of educational and motivational forums on Manila Bay rehabilitation all over the Province this year.

In a meeting of the technical working group (TWG) of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Project Bataan held at the DENR provincial office in this town, it was agreed upon to bring the forums on “MANILABAYanihan Para Sa Kalikasan” to all the 12 towns of the province, to be attended by barangay officials, students and concerned citizens. Also tackled in the meeting are waste management, relocation of informal settlers and habitat rehabilitation.

I addition to the DENR as lead agency, other members of the TWG are the Bataan Provincial Government, DPWH, DA-BFAR, PIA, and the Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU). The “MANILABAYanihan Para Sa Kalikasan” was hatched by the DENR and concerned local government units around Manila Bay aiming to rehabilitate and revitalize the bay.

In line with the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Project of the Province, residents along Talisay River in Balanga City received assistance for alternative livelihood from DENR Bataan and the city government. The villages of Puerto Rivas Itaas, Puerto Rivas Ibaba, Puerto Rivas Lote, Talisay, and Bagumbayan lie along the Talisay River which is a main waterway in the city.

“The project is part of the government’s Manila Bay Rehabilitation Project to prepare informal settlers living along riverbanks. “In case they get relocated, they will have a viable source of income”, said Mila Ramirez, DENR Bataan officer and focal person of Manila Bay Rehabilitation Project.

The DENR Bataan through the leadership of PENRO Raul Mamac is in full swing implementing its programs that include the National Greening Program, Handog Titulo, and the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Project, among others.