Manila Zoo to be temporarily closed starting January 23

Manila Mayor Joseph "Erap" Estrada has ordered for the temporary closure of Manila Zoo starting Wednesday, January 23 after being tagged as one of the major pollutants of Manila Bay.

Super Radyo dzBB's Mark Makalalad tweeted a photo of memorandum dated January 21, stating that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has tagged Manila Zoo as a major pollutant of Manila Bay as it has supposedly been draining untreated sewage into one of the estuaries leading to the body of water.

JUST IN: Manila Zoo na naglalabas ng untreated wastewater sa Manila Bay, ipinasasara na ni Mayor Joseph Estrada bukas I @dzbb pic.twitter.com/C4n9VuEdgm

— Mark Makalalad (@MMakalalad) January 22, 2019

The Department of Engineering and Public Works and the Department of Public Services are directed to submit a program of work for the construction of water treatment facilities for Manila Zoo.

The construction of the facilities may take a couple of months, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

"Depende po 'yan sa kukunin nilang contractor kung magiging mabilis po ang gawa. Within two months kaya nang tapusin 'yan. Kung medyo mabagal-bagal po baka abutin sila ng three to four months diyan," DENR spokesperson, Usec. Benny Antiporda said in a separate report by Cedric Castillo on GMA's 24 Oras.

The management of Manila Zoo, for its part, explained why the park does not have water treatment facilities in place.

"1959 itinayo ang Manila Zoo at siguro noong panahon na 'yun ay hindi pa required na kumabit sa sewage system ang mga recreational facilities o mga commercial facilities," said Atty. Jas Garcia, Officer in Charge of the Manila Public Recreations Bureau.

The local government of Manila vowed to fully support the government's move to rehabilitate the nearly 2,000-square-kilometer Manila Bay.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu was reported to have called the Manila Bay a "magnified cesspool" given the high coliform level of 330 million "most probable number" (MPN) per 100 milliliter, compared to the safe level of 100 MPN/100ml. — Anna Felicia Bajo with Dona Magsino/RSJ/BAP, GMA News