QC, San Miguel ink deal to scale flood solutions

QUEZON CITY (QC) Mayor Ma. Josefina G. Belmonte and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramon S. Ang on Tuesday signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to clean up and rehabilitate major rivers in the city, the conglomerate said on Wednesday.

Under the MoA, SMC will deepen and widen key sections of the San Juan River and extend its cleanup Tullahan River up to La Mesa Dam.

It will also clean up tributaries identified by the QC government to remove silt and garbage, increase rainwater carrying capacity, and improve outflow to Manila Bay.

“Together, we are multiplying our impact and we can set a new standard for public-private collaboration that builds the foundation for a more resilient city and a life of dignity for every QCitizen and every Filipino,” Ms. Belmonte said.

The agreement also provided for the deployment of dredging equipment, barges, and trucks, and the development of improved systems for collecting debris and other obstructions.

“For five years now, we have been cleaning rivers because we want to help solve the flooding problem,” Mr. Ang said.

The projects under the agreement will form part of SMC’s Better Rivers PH program, launched in 2020. The program has so far removed more than 8.5 million metric tons of silt and 163 kilometers of rivers and tributaries in and around Metro Manila at no cost to the government. — CAT