Duterte says he wants to dissolve Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission

FILE: Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission – PRRC, through its powerful River Patrols, performs easement recovery operations to give the Pasig River a breather. (Photo: Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission – PRRC/Facebook)

Following the dismissal of its chief, President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants to dissolve the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) and make the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) be in charge of the river’s rehabilitation.

“Kaya itong commission sa Pasig tanggalin ko na ito (That is why this commission for Pasig, I will dissolve it), place it under General [Roy] Cimatu sa (of) DENR,” Duterte said in his speech during the oath-taking ceremony of the newly appointed government officials in Malacañang on Tuesday, September 17.

The President said it is impossible to bring back the pristine state of Pasig River even though a “Pasig Bureau” or “Department of Pasig” is formed to rehabilitate it.

“‘Yang Pasig [River] na ‘yan, hindi mo malinis ‘yan because wala naman tayong zoning. Panahon pa ni [Jose] Rizal, ang poo ng mga Espanyol noon, diyan sa Pasig [River] pumupunta (This Pasig River, you cannot clean it because we do not have zoning. Even during the time of Jose Rizal, waste of Spaniards ended up in the Pasig River),” he stressed.

“Over the years, ang labasan ng mga factory, mga bahay, lahat, Pasig River (waste from factories, homes, all of it, go to the Pasig River). O, how you can — you clean that?” he continued.

The Chief Executive issued this statement a week after Jose Antonio Goitia was fired as executive director of the PRRC due to corruption allegations.

In his previous speech, Duterte did not further elaborate what corruption activities Goitia was linked to but said the latter has been “telling people he will be appointed [as] Customs collector, and already was collecting.”

Meanwhile, Goitia had thanked Duterte for entrusting him to serve as the PRRC’s head and that he will remain “fully supportive” of the President’s reform and development agenda.

Created in January 1999 by virtue of Executive Order (EO) No. 54 signed by former President Joseph Estrada, the PRRC is tasked to ensure that the Pasig River is rehabilitated to its historically pristine condition conducive to transports, recreation, and tourism.

Last August 28, Duterte signed EO No. 90, transferring the chairmanship of the rehabilitation body to the DENR from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).