Polluted Misimpressions About the Pasig River

I recently conducted an informal survey among several friends and asked them, "What comes to mind when you hear 'Pasig River?'" I asked mostly media people, and they all gave similar replies.

- CITO BELTRAN

"It's dirty," "Pasig River is polluted," "The river is full of garbage," "The river is covered by water lilies," "The ferries no longer operate," "Piso Para sa Pasig." But none of them have ever taken the ferry. This proves that we all carry the impressions or information from 20 even 30 years ago and rely on such information to be the same three decades later without checking if they are still true today.

Whether it is about the Pasig River, an unpopular person or childhood barkada, we assume that "what was then, remains the same today." Yes, "so many people from your past know a version of you that doesn't exist anymore."

Last week, I got the chance to take the MMDA Pasig River Ferry Service once again, but this time to travel the full circle. It was an answered prayer since I've only gone from the Guadalupe to the Quinta station in Quiapo.

The trip was an ocular study of the Pasig River, the MMDA river ferry system as part of a documentary on the Clean Rivers program of San Miguel Corporation and personal advocacy of Ramon S. Ang, chairman and CEO of SMC.

We began our trip at the Guadalupe station where we were warmly welcomed and assisted by Engr. Dan August Oro, head of the Pasig River Ferry System, and Cecile Baluran, MMDA PRFS admin officer.

The plan was to go down the Pasig River all the way to Escolta station then go back up all the way to Pinagbuhatan up to the boundary of Pasig and Laguna de Bay.