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SAN Miguel Corporation (SMC) has removed eight million tons of silt and waste from 136 kilometers of river systems in Luzon as of the end of October, 2024 as part of its \u201cBetter Rivers Ph\u201d initiative.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Launched in 2020, this massive cleanup effort, funded entirely by SMC, targets major waterways such as the Tullahan, Pasig, and San Juan Rivers, as well as those in Bulacan, Pampanga, and Laguna.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n By removing years of accumulated debris, SMC has already increased the rivers\u2019 carrying capacity, allowed for faster drainage of floodwaters, and mitigated the impact of heavy rains.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recent monitoring reports, however, indicate that heavy rains have led to renewed silt buildup and waste accumulation in previously cleared areas.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cRiver cleanups are a continuous effort. Heavy rains bring eroded soil and improper disposal continue to be a challenge. Maintenance is very important to make sure these rivers continue to flow freely,\u201d said SMC chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ang said SMC\u2019s river cleanup teams will soon return to affected areas, including the Tullahan, Pasig, and San Juan Rivers, to address the recurring buildup of silt, waste, and vegetation.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Expanding efforts to Pampanga River and beyond<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since August, cleanup efforts have spanned 8.15 km of the river, removing 506,616 tons of silt and waste.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vice Mayor Vince Flores of Macabebe, Pampanga, whose coastal barangay of Consuelo sits beside the river, said: \u201cMacabebe is very blessed to have SMC. Our town cannot afford large-scale dredging operations. SMC is the first private entity to help Macabebe in desilting the river, and we have felt how it has made a significant difference.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n He explained that despite efforts by the LGU to address flooding through road upgrades and drainage improvements, land subsidence has made the challenge too difficult to address.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Following SMC\u2019s efforts, Flores said engineers from the LGU have confirmed that floodwaters now subside more quickly, as once nearly stagnant sections of the river are now flowing.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition to the Pampanga River, SMC teams are actively cleaning rivers in Bi\u00f1an, Laguna, and around the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), while also clearing its drainage system.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SAN Miguel Corporation (SMC) has removed eight million tons of silt and waste from 136 kilometers of river systems in Luzon as of the end<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9766"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9769,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766\/revisions\/9769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
SMC\u2019s commitment to cleaner waterways now extends to the Pampanga River in Central Luzon, a major source of flooding in the province and downstream areas like Bulacan.<\/strong><\/p>\n