SMC Commits to Build PAREX Sustainably and Safely
SAN MIGUEL Corp. (SMC) has committed anew to build a “safe, reliable and sustainable” Pasig River Expressway (PAREX), which it described as a crucial infrastructure for the country’s recovery from the pandemic. Ramon S. Ang, SMC president and chief executive officer, said the 19.37-kilometer road that will connect eastern and western Metro Manila would complement the conglomerate’s P2-billion, five-year rehabilitation effort for the tributary. In all our major infrastructure projects, we always take into consideration the effects on the environment, putting greater emphasis on how we can build the infrastructure while at the same time preserve or enhance the environment.
Sustainable Design and Green Architecture
SMC called PAREX as a hybrid infrastructure that was designed with green architecture principles. Mr. Ang said Felino “Jun” Palafox, Jr. through his firm Palafox Associates had been signed on to help with the project’s sustainable design. SMC said Mr. Palafox, a known urban planner and green architect, as sharing the vision of the company and Mr. Ang for sustainable infrastructure.
It quoted Mr. Palafox as saying: “For many decades, we have been emphasizing green architecture and green urbanism in our projects in the Philippines and abroad. For the PAREX project, our approach will be the same, we are designing not just infrastructure, but an urban landscape. We are promoting sustainability through architecture, with a holistic vision.”
Mr. Ang said if done right and in line with sustainability and green architecture principles, PAREX “will be a model road infrastructure that further democratizes the benefits and convenience of infrastructure.” He added that these are the types of infrastructure we will need in the future — adaptable to the growing and changing needs of our people.
Interconnected Transit Solutions
The road can be used by motorists, public transport, cyclists, and pedestrians “to further enhance accessibility and traffic decongestion, while encouraging multiple modes of transportation.” Mr. Ang also disclosed plans to put up a Bus Rapid Transit on PAREX and the existing Skyway system, which will interconnect, completing the north-to-south and east-to-west connection throughout Metro Manila. The said move would allow “faster, more reliable, safer, comfortable and affordable commutes” while cutting time spent on traffic that worsens pollution.
Comprehensive Pasig River Rehabilitation
San Miguel Corporation (SMC), in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), other national government agencies, and Metro Manila mayors, officially launched its ambitious, five-year plan to clean up and rehabilitate the Pasig River. The project is set to become the largest ever river rehabilitation project in the country, with SMC president Ramon S. Ang announcing that the company’s budget for the undertaking is being doubled to P2 billion.
“Our goal is to remove years-worth of wastes and increase Pasig River’s carrying capacity to divert floodwaters to Manila Bay and make it more conducive to marine life over the coming years,” he added. SMC’s Pasig River clean-up initiative had yielded some 295,260 metric tons of silt and solid waste since it started in mid-2021.
Project Targets and Environmental Milestones
SMC maintains the following extraction goals to ensure the success of the rehabilitation:
- Daily output target: at least 2,000 metric tons of waste.
- Monthly target: at least 50,000 metric tons.
- Annual total: 600,000 metric tons extracted every year.
Ang cited a study published by OurWorldinData.org that Pasig River has emerged as the top plastics polluter of oceans in the world. He stated that rehabilitating the river does not only involve dredging and removing visible wastes especially plastics that eventually go to the sea. It is only part of the solution; what is needed is more of a holistic approach, which will involve building a sewage system that would prevent it from being the dumping area of industrial and solid wastes.
Regional Impact
Silt and accumulated garbage have made the Pasig river shallow and restrict the flow of water, worsening the flooding situation in Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasig. PAREX, which will span from Rizal province to Manila City, is complemented by SMC’s rehabilitation plan that started in July last year to mitigate its impact on the environment. We engage all stakeholders and in particular, partner with local communities to ensure environmental measures and mitigations are successful for the long-term.
