Commitment to saving Phl rivers runs deep in SMC

A resolve to protect and clean the country's major waterways runs deep in San Miguel Corp. (SMC), one of the country's largest

- RICHMOND MERCURIO

Recognizing that waterways are essential lifelines that connect communities, protect ecosystems and sustain livelihoods, SMC, led by its chairman and CEO Ramon Ang, has embarked on what appears to be a herculean task of reducing flooding and restoring life in vital waterways.

Since 2020, SMC has led the most extensive river cleanup initiative in the Philippines, with its efforts resulting in the successful cleaning of major river systems in and around Metro Manila, clearing decades of accumulated waste.

Better Rivers PH

The initiative, called Better Rivers PH, is entirely funded by SMC and comes at no cost to the government or taxpayers, the company said.

Ang said that through the program, over 7.6 million metric tons of waste from 127 kilometers of waterways, including the Tullahan, Pasig, San Juan and Bulacan rivers, have been removed restored, they are cleaner now and support more life than they have in decades. All of this began with a simple idea: 'It starts with us.' Every action, big or small, makes a difference," he said.

Bulacan rivers

SMC's extensive cleanup across multiple rivers and waterways in Bulacan alone has resulted in the removal of over 4.2 million tons of silt and waste the largest volume extracted in the Luzon-wide initiative.

The total volume of waste and silt removed during the Bulacan cleanup has reached about twice the combined volume of what has been extracted from the Pasig and Tullahan rivers.