Manila Bay rehab gets green light

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) secretary Benjamin Diokno revealed on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte approved the budget for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

In a statement, Diokno said that during the Cabinet meeting the other day, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary Roy Cimatu presented to the President the problem of Manila Bay and recommended its rehabilitation.

DIOKNO The Budget secretary noted that the President approved of the proposal and allotted P47 billion for the bay’s rehabilitation, noting that the fund will be used to clean waterways that lead to Manila Bay and for the relocation of informal settlers.

But Diokno stressed that the P47-billion allocation is still subject to the annual programming of the government’s budget.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, on the other hand, said that additional funding will be allocated from the road user’s tax.