San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) massive and long-running flood mitigation program, Better Rivers PH, is ramping up operations across southern Metro Manila and nearby provinces — with cleanup works now underway in Laguna, Alabang, and Las Piñas City.
SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said cleanup operations began at the Las Piñas River on September 1, upon the request of the Las Piñas City Government, and in coordination with the MMDA and DENR. The effort started at the river’s mouth in Manila Bay and is progressing upstream.
In just over a month, teams have removed over 30,000 tons of silt and waste from a 280-meter stretch — creating an access channel for equipment to reach more heavily silted areas. Surveys showed the river’s mouth was completely blocked by silt and garbage, while the first two kilometers upstream are now only waist- to knee-deep. At Pulanglupa Bridge, trash traps and a water pipeline were also found obstructing water flow.
“We’re just at the beginning stages, but we will do our best to ensure the Las Piñas River flows freely again,” Ang said, calling for public cooperation to help ease flooding in the city.
Las Piñas Mayor April Aguilar and Rep. Mark Santos recently inspected the site and commended the progress.
The Las Piñas cleanup is the latest expansion of SMC’s Better Rivers PH, now on its fifth year. The initiative has already removed over 8.6 million metric tons of silt and waste from 166 kilometers of river systems, all at no cost to government or taxpayers — making it the largest and longest-running private-led river rehabilitation program in the Philippines.
In Laguna, SMC has cleared over 9,300 tons of silt and waste from the Landayan River in San Pedro, complementing earlier efforts in San Isidro, Biñan, and Tunasan Rivers. In Muntinlupa, cleanup of the Alabang River continues, with over 29,000 tons of waste already removed.
SMC teams are also active in Parañaque, and have returned to previously cleaned sections of the Tullahan and San Juan Rivers to remove newly accumulated debris — sustaining their commitment to help mitigate flooding through long-term, continuous action.