Parañaque residents demand action over 'sea of trash'

Parañaque City residents expressed deep shock and alarm after an unprecedented "sea of trash" blanketed the Redemptorist Water Channel in Baclaran following heavy monsoon rains and high tides.

Community members described the sight as the worst they had ever witnessed, marking the first time such a massive volume of waste from Manila Bay accumulated in the area.

The sheer thickness of plastic, styrofoam, and debris completely covered the waterway near Baclaran Church, stunning both neighborhood residents and online observers.

Locals pointed out that the heavily blocked channel restricted drainage, worsening floods in surrounding neighborhoods.

Residents warned that the standing, waste-choked water placed ground-floor households and manual cleanup crews at high risk for waterborne illnesses like leptospirosis.

While city officials cited that much of the garbage floated in from neighboring localities and Manila Bay, residents stressed that the recurring crisis demands urgent action.

Local community members called for stricter anti-littering enforcement, better waste management, and permanent structural repairs to prevent future blockages.

Most interviewed residents supported calls for neighboring local government units to improve their waterway systems to protect downstream communities.

To recall, cleanup crews from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority ultimately collected three weeks' worth of trash from the channel and its pumping station over three days, while local officials noted that prior river dredging helped floodwaters subside faster despite the severe clogging.