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Not cosmetic: Marcos says Pasig River promenade will be a ‘people-centered development’

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A passenger ferry crosses the Pasig River. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News file photo/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/business/08/05/20200110-pasig-river-ferry-jc-4645.jpg"/><figcaption>A passenger ferry crosses the Pasig River. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News file photo/File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that the construction of a multi-use promenade on the banks of the Pasig River will be a “people-centered, community-driven development” instead of a mere “cosmetic” project.The government hopes to create a 25-kilometer promenade on both banks of the Pasig River so that it can be used both as a recreational and commercial space, Marcos Jr. said in his speech during the inauguration of the project.“The transformation we would like to see in the Pasig River are not cosmetic in nature. We will not paper over the river’s fundamental problems nor whitewash its grime while leaving the old and the rotten still there,” he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/slideshow/01/15/24/plan-for-san-juan-linear-park-unveiled">LOOK: Plan for linear park along San Juan River unveiled</a></li></ul>“We do not want a river that is instantly made picturesque by coats of paint. We want a river whose transformation sinks to its very bottom,” he said.“This begins by cleaning up the river and some solutions are found upstream because waste disposed far from the Pasig River end up in the Pasig River,” he added.The P18-billion project that is expected to be completed in 3 years will be funded by the private sector, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said in a separate interview.Between 5,000 and 10,000 informal settler families will be relocated to housing units either in Rizal province or the Port Area in Manila, he said.Marcos Jr. said the relocation of these families is necessary not only for the redevelopment of the Pasig River but to keep them safe during typhoons.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/03/26/23/these-ai-images-will-make-you-dream-of-better-pasig-river">These AI images of Pasig River will inspire you to dream—or demand—for a better Pasig River</a></li></ul>“As the threat of climate change looms, we must save the poor and vulnerable living along its banks from the ravages of frequent and fiercer typhoons by transferring them to better homes which they deserve,” he said.“Make no mistake about it, it will be a people-centered and community-driven development with ideas crowdsourced from experts and carried out with political will,” he said.The Pasig River Urban Development will be used as a walkway, bike lane, commercial space and an open-air exhibit for Filipino creatives, the President said, noting that “the strongest stakeholders of the river development” would be the public.“We envision civic spaces where our children will play, where our seniors will relax, families will exercise, artists can showcase their talents and the creatives can display their work,” he said.“We want it to be a permanent exhibit area of green technology that works… We will also maximize this ready-to-use but under-utilized maritime highway by deploying more ferry boats and stations because if you build them, the riders will come,” he said.“We are here to place a path forward for this national asset. We are here to reject the defeatist view that the Pasig River is beyond redemption.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/27/23/denr-still-evaluating-community-impact-of-parex-loyzaga">DENR still evaluating community impact of PAREX: Loyzaga</a></li></ul>While the government “may never restore the river back to its pre-colonial condition,” the administration will push to “revive it to serve the present while preserving it for the future,” the Chief Executive said.“Hindi po ito ningas kugon na kampanya o flavor of the month lang. This will be pursued relentlessly,” he said, noting that the “lead proponent” of the project is First Lady Liza Marcos.“I will not be deterred from placing a bet on this endeavor because the Presidency is about attaining the grand and not wasting mandates on the petty,” he said.“It is not a rebranding of the old, but revving up of the new, fresh ideas.”In July 2023, Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 35, directing the executive branch to support the “rehabilitation of the Pasig River to its historically pristine condition conducive to transport, recreation and tourism.”<div>RELATED VIDEO</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1g4ELC1qRBY?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The government hopes to create a 25-kilometer promenade on both banks of the Pasig River that can be used both as a recreational and commercial space.

Not cosmetic: Marcos says Pasig River promenade will be a ‘people-centered development’

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Not cosmetic: Marcos says Pasig River promenade will be a ‘people-centered development’

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 17, 2024 08:36 PM PHT

Read More:

Bongbong Marcos

Pasig River

Pasig River Urban Development

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