DENR chief chairs Pasig River Rehab Commission under new EO

FILE: Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea at Barangay Sagonsongon in Marawi City on March 15, 2018. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has transferred the chairmanship of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) to the Department of Natural Resources (DENR).

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, by authority of the President, signed Executive Order 90 on Aug. 28 and a copy of the document was released to media on Monday (September 2).

EO 90 transfers the chairmanship of the PRRC from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary to the DENR Secretary.

It amends EO 54 which mandates the PRRC as an inter-agency body to ensure the Pasig River is rehabilitated to its historically pristine condition conducive to transport, recreation, and tourism.

The PRRC is an agency under the Office of the President.

The recently-signed EO emphasized that “there is a need for close coordination and oversight of all ongoing efforts of the national government relative to the cleanup and rehabilitation of major waterways in Metro Manila.”

The newly-organized commission will be chaired by the DENR Secretary or his duly authorized representative and co-chaired by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair.

Members of the commission include Secretaries of the Departments of Public Works and Highways, Budget and Management, Tourism, Transportation, Finance, Trade and Industry, National Defense, Interior and Local Government, Human Settlements and Urban Development, and the Office of the Executive Secretary.

The President will also appoint three representatives from the private sector.

All other provisions of the EO remain unchanged.

The 27-kilometer Pasig River, one of the major tributaries, connects Luzon’s two major water bodies — Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay.

Last February 19, Duterte created the DENR-led Manila Bay Task Force, to improve the water quality of the Manila Bay.

Duterte has approved the proposal to institutionalize the Pasig River Ferry Convergence Program.