Tons of trash wash ashore in Baclaran amid heavy rains

Residents of Baclaran woke up to the sight and smell of tons of trash from Manila Bay that were strewn along the coast of Paranaque City on Monday.

In John Consulta’s report on 24 Oras, tons of garbage covered the shoreline near the Baclaran Church that included discarded plastics, tires, clothes, styrofoam. The volume was thick enough to cover the surface of the water.

An official of the Paranaque City government said they did not expect this to happen.

“Kami ho ay nagulantang dahil hindi naman ganito ang nagiging problema rito. Sa ngayon ho kasi na panahon ng tag ulan, high tide, kaya ho ‘yung basura sa karagatan natin paikot ho iyan, high tide this morning pumasok na ho ang basura galing sa Manila Bay,” said Paranaque CENRO chief Bernie Amurao.

(We were shocked because this is not the usual kind of problem we have here. Right now because of the rainy season, the high tide brought the trash from Manila Bay here this morning.)

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said dredging is ongoing in the area.

On Monday afternoon, CENRO personnel worked by hand to remove the huge amount of accumulated garbage near the LRT-1 station in Baclaran.

Amurao said they would probably need 10 trucks to haul away the trash. He also appealed to the public to not dispose of trash into bodies of water that includes rivers and canals.

“Dapat ho may disiplina para maiwasan ang pag baha,” he said.

(There should be discipline to avoid floods.)

Authorities said trash present in waterways are a major cause of flooding.

“Madali po’ng manita or mag point finger sa gobyerno. Ang pamahalaan po ay ginagawa ang lahat pero lahat po tayo ay mayroong obligasyon para maiwasan natin ang ganitong klaseng pagbaha,” said Palace Undersecretary Claire Castro during a briefing on the flood situation.

(It’s easy to cast blame or point fingers at the government. We are doing everything we can but everyone has an obligation to help prevent floods.)
—RF, GMA News