Over 4 million visitors have now walked the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach since its controversial opening, a number that signals something more than a tourist curiosity. That figure, shared by DENR’s Manila Bay Coordinating Office Executive Director Jacob F. Meimban, Jr. during an April 2025 webinar with the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), suggests the bay’s rehabilitation is producing tangible, visible results — even as the deeper work of cleaning a watershed that supports nearly 40 million people continues largely out of sight.
Manila Bay is not just the postcard stretch along Roxas Boulevard. It spans three regions and 187 local government units, fed by 17 major rivers including the Pasig. For decades, the bay absorbed the consequences of rapid urbanisation — untreated sewage, solid waste, informal settlements along waterways, and industrial runoff. The scale of the problem meant that any credible rehabilitation effort would need to match it. What has emerged, slowly, is a multi-pronged approach that combines legal mandates, private sector investment, and community-level action. The question is whether the pieces are adding up to a lasting recovery.
What the rehabilitation actually involves
The legal backbone of the entire effort is a landmark Supreme Court ruling — the Mandamus Order — which directed 13 government agencies to clean up and rehabilitate the bay to a standard safe for swimming and skin diving. Administrative Order No. 16, s. 2019 later formalised the Manila Bay Task Force to accelerate the mandate. That court-driven approach is unusual in environmental governance, and it gives the rehabilitation a legal force that voluntary programs often lack. But a court order alone cannot build sewage plants or relocate families. That is where the partnership structure matters.
Where the money and manpower come from
The most capital-intensive part of the rehabilitation is liquid waste management. The government has prioritised constructing sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the National Capital Region, but the heavy lifting falls to the private concessionaires. Maynilad Water Services and Manila Water Co. have invested in expanding sewer coverage, upgrading septage treatment facilities, and introducing technologies like biological nutrient removal systems and automated monitoring. Their work is tied to DENR’s Adopt-an-Estero program, which requires water to be treated before it reaches the bay. These investments are measured against the General Effluent Standards under AO No. 2016-08, which the DENR enforces across both private and public sector stakeholders.
Solid waste is tackled through a different set of tools. Desilting operations in critical rivers and esteros use 24 backhoes to pull out submerged waste, while trash boats and traps capture floating debris. Regular clean-up drives involving government agencies and local communities supplement these mechanical efforts. The challenge here is scale: with 187 LGUs in the watershed, consistent enforcement and community engagement vary widely. To encourage local action, the Galing Pook Foundation, in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, has included Manila Bay-related programs in its Galing Pook Awards, creating an incentive structure for LGUs that perform well.
What often gets overlooked in the cleanup narrative
Most coverage of Manila Bay’s rehabilitation focuses on Dolomite Beach — the most visible symbol of change. But the real work is less photogenic and far more complicated. Three areas in particular deserve closer attention.
The gap between legal mandate and local enforcement
The Mandamus Order gives the rehabilitation legal teeth, but enforcement depends on 187 LGUs with varying capacities and priorities. An LGU that lacks a functional solid waste management plan or a local ordinance on wastewater discharge can slow progress significantly. The Galing Pook Awards attempt to address this by rewarding good performance, but the system relies on voluntary participation. Not every LGU has the budget or technical staff to comply with national standards, and the DENR’s enforcement resources are stretched across multiple regions.
The cost of resettlement is a bottleneck
Relocating informal settler families is not just a social challenge — it is a financial one. At an estimated P500,000 per family, and with thousands of families living along waterways, the total budget runs into billions of pesos. The cleared areas are converted into linear parks to discourage re-encroachment, but the resettlement process itself is slow, contested, and dependent on the availability of alternative housing sites. Until this bottleneck is addressed, waterway clearing will remain piecemeal.
Marine life recovery is real but fragile
Director Meimban’s presentation noted that marine life has returned to areas that were previously dead zones. The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) monitors fish catch at eight designated landing sites, providing data on the health of marine populations. But recovery in one section of the bay does not mean the entire ecosystem is stable. Pollution from unmonitored tributaries, agricultural runoff, and periodic storm surges can reverse gains quickly. The data from DA-BFAR is essential for distinguishing genuine recovery from temporary fluctuation.
What you can do — and what is coming next
The rehabilitation of Manila Bay is not something that happens only in government offices or corporate boardrooms. For residents, business owners, and local officials within the watershed, there are concrete actions that support the broader effort.
Participate in local clean-up drives and Adopt-an-Estero
DENR’s Adopt-an-Estero program allows private companies, schools, and community groups to take responsibility for cleaning and maintaining a specific waterway before it drains into the bay. Participation involves regular clean-up schedules, waste segregation, and water quality monitoring. For businesses, this is also a way to align with environmental compliance requirements under the General Effluent Standards. Community groups can coordinate with their local DENR office or LGU to identify an estero that needs adoption.
Check your household wastewater connection
Many households in Metro Manila are not connected to the sewer network, and untreated wastewater flows directly into drainage channels that lead to the bay. Maynilad and Manila Water offer sewer connection programs and septage management services. Residents can check whether their property is within the serviceable area and apply for connection. For those using septic tanks, regular desludging — every three to five years — prevents overflow into waterways.
Support LGUs that prioritise solid waste management
With 187 LGUs in the watershed, local enforcement of waste segregation and collection schedules varies. Residents can advocate for their LGU to adopt a functional solid waste management plan and to apply for recognition through programs like the Galing Pook Awards. Voting in local elections with environmental governance in mind is one of the most direct ways to influence enforcement quality.
Watch for the next phase of the rehabilitation
The MAP-DENR webinar series, part of a 2024 memorandum of understanding, signals that the private sector’s role is expected to grow. Future phases may include expanded sewer coverage in peri-urban areas, stricter effluent standards for industrial facilities, and更大-scale mangrove reforestation along the bay’s remaining natural shoreline. The DENR’s Manila Bay Coordinating Office is also expected to release updated water quality data periodically, which will allow the public to track progress beyond the visible changes at Dolomite Beach.
Frequently asked questions
Is Manila Bay safe for swimming now? ▾
Who pays for the rehabilitation? ▾
What happens to informal settlers after relocation? ▾
How is marine life being monitored? ▾
Can my organisation adopt an estero? ▾
Sources
Community fight: pollution’s front lines — How local groups across the Philippines are organising to address pollution in their own waterways and neighbourhoods.
Addressing solid waste management in the Philippines — A closer look at the national challenges and local solutions for solid waste, directly relevant to the 187 LGUs in the Manila Bay watershed.
Manila Bay’s comeback: Hope rises from the water. BusinessWorld, 2025.
Manila Bay’s comeback: Hope rises from the waters. Management Association of the Philippines, 2025.
