Something’s brewing along the Pasig River with the opening of the new esplanade located behind the Manila Post Office across from Binondo. I noticed this after paying some visits to our Escolta office, as it seemed the place never ran out of people. I passed by again before the Chinese New Year and saw people flocking to the beautifully lit open space to take photos and just plain hang out by the river. 

The Pasig River Esplanade is the first of hopefully many more infrastructure developments along the river. I have been watching this closely, being an avid reader of the column (and social media posts) of Paulo Alcazaren, who is a consultant of the DHSUD for this. 

Kudos should definitely go to Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, my personal favorite Cabinet member in this administration. His work ethic, determination, political will, and innovativeness remind me of my favorite Cabinet member in the Duterte administration, former Transport Secretary Art Tugade.  

It is interesting to note that this Pasig River Esplanade project may have effectively closed the door on the Pasig River Expressway of Ramon S. Ang. In short, PARES may have replaced PAREX. While the PAREX might have helped ease car transport woes, the PARES would encourage and improve the mobility of people and open new spaces for human interaction and activity. This is ideal for compact and congested metropolises, and I have heard of a study that says Manila is among the cities with the least open spaces. 

The esplanade behind the Post Office is a test run and I believe the project has passed with flying colors. Next up should be the development of the next phases of the project in the city of Manila, for now. The reason for this is that the developers will encounter political and jurisdictional issues when it comes to areas of the Pasig River where the opposite riverbanks belong to different cities, such as the areas between Makati and Mandaluyong, and Taguig and Pasig — sections that have seen increased activity due to their proximity to business development centers. 

More bridges must be built over the 27-kilometer Pasig River, and these need not all be bridges for vehicles. Pedestrian and bike-friendly bridges must be prioritized due to their lower cost yet higher societal impact. Imagine having a pedestrian bridge between the Makati City Hall and Mandaluyong’s Maysilo Circle, as well as Uptown BGC and Pasig’s Kapitolyo district. 

This will give urban dwellers a stronger sense of community. As pointed out by Alcazaren in a social media post, the 27-km Pasig River has only 19 bridges, very miniscule compared to the 13-km River Seine in Paris with 37 bridges, and the 3-km Singapore River with 17 bridges.

What is important is that Secretary Acuzar has the backing of the President in this project. No less than President Bongbong Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos inaugurated the Pasig River esplanade, which is part of the bigger Pasig Bigyan Buhay Muli project aimed at transforming the river and its environs into a center of economic activity, tourism and transportation connectivity in Metro Manila and to adjacent provinces.

Secretary Acuzar, as chairman of the Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development, is highly qualified to revitalize the river, not just to bring it to life again, but to use the river to uplift the lives of Filipinos living near and around it. 

For comments, email darren.dejesus@gmail.com.