“Para sa Pasig River natin!” Thus, did First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos caption her Instagram post as she declared support for the plan to fully rehabilitate the Pasig River.
Araneta-Marcos made known her desire to bring back the beauty of the historic river after the Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development or PRUD presented its master plan to her.
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said revitalizing the Pasig River would make it a commercial, lifestyle, tourism, and cultural hub.
Dubbed the “Pasig Bigyan-Buhay Muli,” or PBBM, Project, the undertaking would be headed by the PRUD formed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through Executive Order 35 signed in July.
The PBBM Project would put in place mixed-use commercial areas, including tourist spots, and open public parks along the 25-kilometer stretch of the Pasig River, from Manila Bay to the Laguna de Bay.
The PRUD initially identified eight key areas where improvements could be made like jogging paths and bike lanes from the city of Manila up to Rizal province, traversing major cities in the metropolis.
Acuzar said informal settler families living along the river banks will be prioritized under the flagship “Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino” Program.