Mandamus on Manila Bay
In January 1999, concerned residents of Manila Bay filed a complaint with the RTC of Imus, Cavite against several government agencies for the cleanup, rehabilitation and protection of Manila Bay. In December 2008, the Supreme Court issued a Mandamus Ruling that ordered the defendant government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay; to restore and maintain its waters; and to submit a progressive report in accordance with the court’s decision.
To comply with the Supreme Court decision, an Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy (OPMBCS) was drafted where the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the lead agency. The other Mandamus agencies where
divided into the clusters – Liquid Waste Management, Habitat and Ecosystems Rehabilitation, ISF and Solid Waste Management. Various interventions and strategies were used like reduction of pollution loading; relocation of informal settlers; compliance with solid waste management; reforestation of priority watersheds, protected areas, and critical habitats; application of micro-watershed management; implementation of Integrated River Basin and Coastal Areas Management by the LGUs; restoration of productivity of abandoned fishponds to mangrove areas; and enrichment of existing mangrove areas in NCR, Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan.
Accomplishments on the Mandamus include the establishment of Water Quality Management Areas in the National Capital Region (NCR), Region III and Region IV-A; rivers and creeks were cleaned through “Adopt an Estero Program”; establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs); Laguna de Bay Ecosystem Health Report Card; conduct of several studies. .
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