The new office will focus on the rehabilitation works and the development of the area adjacent to the river.
Through Executive Order No. 92 signed last August 13, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. officially established the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Pasig River Rehabilitation (OPAPRR).
It will be led by the adviser, who will be given the rank and emoluments of a Secretary, according to the Palace.
The establishment of the new office is part of the ongoing efforts of the administration to restore and rejuvenate the heavily polluted Pasig River, which is being carried out through the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli initiative.
In the said project, the 25-kilometer riverside area will be transformed into a commercial and tourist hub featuring parks, bike lanes, pedestrian pathways and commercial spaces.
At present, a stretch in the City of Manila, which has been dubbed as the Pasig River Esplanade, is already completed and now in operation.
In line with these, the OPAPRR’s mandate has been specified to include advising the President on all matters regarding the formulation and implementation of policies, plans, activities, and programs for the Pasig River.
Additionally, it will also monitor, coordinate, and harmonize all policies, plans, activities, and programs related to the Pasig River; and coordinating with local government units (LGUs) in the implementation of policies and programs related to the Pasig River urban development.
The OPARR is also directed to “monitor the implementation of presidential directives for the rehabilitation, development, and restoration of the banks along the Pasig River water system; coordinate efforts of government departments, agencies, bureaus, including government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs); as well as invite LGUs and private sector representatives to assist in Pasig River’s rehabilitation.”
The OPAPRR is also required to submit a bi-annual report to the President on the status of the implementation of programs and the executive order itself.
Also part of the role of the adviser is to become the chairperson of the Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development (IAC-PRUD), which also involves secretaries and chiefs of other agencies, such as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), among many others.
Prior to this office, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) was created in 1999 to oversee the clean-up and other initiatives.
However, in a report by the Commission on Audit (COA), it was said that the PRRC had a low accomplishment rate, despite consuming almost all its budget in 2018. This led to then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to abolish the commission in 2019.
Since then, the Department of Environment and Natural Resource and the Manila Bay Task Force were designated as key implementing bodies for programs concerning the Pasig River.