THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), along with local government units (LGUs) concerned in Bulacan, are stepping up efforts to revive the Marilao, Meycauayan and Obando rivers.

The DENR, led by Environmental Management Bureau Director Lorelyn Claudio, who represented Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje, and Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy Alvarado signed a memorandum of agreement to formalize the partnership during a simple ceremony and dialogue with stakeholders at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday.

Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, Ecoshield Development Corp. chairman; its president, D. Edgard A. Cabangon and Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, who expressed support for the establishment of a modern sanitary landfill in the province, witnessed the signing ceremonies.

Valenzuela City, once a part of Bulacan, is severely affected by floods because of the degradation of the three rivers.  Gatchalian said the city government of Valenzuela will greatly benefit from the establishment of the sanitary landfill which will also help address the garbage woes of Metro Manila.

The river cleanup, which is being supported by Ecoshield, is in compliance with a Supreme Court order mandating a cleanup of Manila Bay by government agencies concerned.

The Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando river system has been listed by the New York-based Blacksmith Institute as the dirtiest rivers in the world.

Alvarado, in a brief message, underscored the need to pursue the Obando Engineered Sanitary Landfill Project in Barangay Salambao, Obando, Bulacan, to revive the once economically important river system in Luzon.

He said he welcomed the filing of a petition with the Supreme Court for the issuance of a writ of kalikasan on the proposed engineered sanitary landfill, saying it will “settle once and for all the issues” raised by some quarters against the project.

He said the establishment of the sanitary landfill will boost the efforts of the government and concerned municipalities in the province, to work for a cleaner and healthier environment.

The landfill, he said, will greatly help address the many woes of the people of Bulacan, particularly in Obando, which used to host a great number of fishponds and fish cages that supplied Metro Manila with bangus and tilapia.

“The livelihood of the people in the coastal towns of Bulacan was greatly affected because of the contamination of our rivers.  I am hoping the sanitary landfill project will push through because it will help solve many of our problems,” he said.

The Obando Engineered Sanitary Landfill is expected to be operational by June 2012.  The first phase of the project costs around P350 million, according to Rafael Tecson, executive vice president and general manager of Ecoshield.

The landfill will be built on a 44-hectare idle fishpond area in Barangay Salambao. It has an approved capacity of 1,000 metric tons of garbage per day and is expected to last for 15 years.

The landfill is also expected to provide jobs to at least 200 residents of Obando and other Bulacan towns, which is 90 percent of the work force required to operate the first phase of the project, Tecson told the BusinessMirror.

Moreover, he said, after 10 years, Ecoshield will turn the landfill into a fishing village for the permanent settlement of 1,159 families from the Barangay Salambao, whose makeshift homes are frequently affected by severe floods.

“The project is actually a solution to the many problems of the people in Obando and nearby towns.  The establishment of the landfill will complement the ongoing efforts of the government to clean up Manila Bay,” he said.

As part of its memorandum of agreement with the host LGUs, Ecoshield, according to Tecson, will provide 35 percent of the total area to be used for its compartmentalized landfill area, for the garbage that will be extracted from the river system.

Ecoshield is also involved in a mangrove project that aims to  plant 1 million trees.  Some 200,000 seedlings are now being maintained in nurseries in partnership with the municipal government of Obando and the provincial government of Bulacan for the project.

These seedlings will be transplanted to the coastal villages of Obando and nearby towns to serve as fish sanctuaries and slow down sea waves, shielding the coastal communities from storms, strong waves, soil erosion and tsunamis.

All these efforts, Tecson said, demonstrate the company’s good corporate citizenship and commitment to promote a healthy environment for the people of Bulacan.