San juan: The maintenance cleanup of the San Juan River is nearing completion after more than 116,000 metric tons of waste and silt were removed over the past 10 months, resulting in improved water flow and reduced flood risk in the areas of San Juan, Manila, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City.
According to Philippines News Agency, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) resumed cleanup operations in September last year after monitoring showed a fresh buildup of waste in the river following an earlier rehabilitation project. To date, dredging teams have removed a total of 116,157 metric tons of waste and silt from a 6.1-kilometer stretch from the Pasig River junction to Talayan in Quezon City.
'Regular maintenance clean-ups are a key component of our Better Rivers PH initiative. Even if we have restored rivers to their natural depth, flow, and water-carrying capacity, improper waste disposal can aggravate silt buildup,' SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon Ang said. At no cost to the government and in coordination with local authorities, Ang said SMC will continue to monitor and ensure that the San Juan River is cleared of obstructions 'so they can carry floodwaters efficiently, especially during the rainy season.'
The latest cleanup, the company said, is intended to preserve the gains of the earlier rehabilitation, underscoring that improper waste disposal can quickly lead to the buildup of silt and debris that restrict water flow. From 2022 to 2024, SMC has done rehabilitation work on the San Juan River, clearing it of about 322,000 metric tons of waste and silt from its entire 7.6-kilometer stretch.
The SMC stated that the San Juan River maintenance cleanup supports the government's flood mitigation efforts, including the Department of Public Works and Highways' Oplan Kontra Baha launched by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in 2025. The Better Rivers PH initiative has also expanded outside Luzon, with SMC deploying dredging teams to clean a four-kilometer section of the Butuanon River in Mandaue City, Cebu, where waste and silt had restricted water flow to the Mactan Channel.
Maintenance cleanup is also ongoing along the Tullahan River, where 177,384 metric tons of debris have been removed from a 6.4-kilometer stretch, Bulacan River System, where 723,393 metric tons of waste and silt have been cleared across 13.38 kilometers; and rivers in Laguna, where 107,192 metric tons have been removed from two kilometers of waterways. Meanwhile, SMW rehabilitation continues in the Para±aque, Las Pi±as, Alabang, Tabang, and Tanza river systems, covering 201.27 kilometers of river channels and removing about 9.3 million metric tons of waste and silt over the past six years.
