Metro Manila, Philippines – San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Chairman and CEO Ramon Ang vowed on Friday, Aug. 8, to help local governments solve the perennial problem of floods in Metro Manila.
Ang made this pledge in a meeting with a number of Metro Manila mayors and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in Pasig City. He said he needed the permission of government officials for the conglomerate to help clean waste in rivers, estuaries, and creeks that may have caused intense flooding in the metropolis in the past month.SMC has been initiating cleanup efforts in the Pasig and Tullahan rivers, as well as those in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Laguna as part of its “Better Rivers” initiative.“Ako po, San Miguel, Ramon Ang, nagbo-volunteer ako ngayon. Ako na ang tutulong sa buong Metro Manila sa baha at no cost to people, at no cost to government,” he said. “Pagdating sa Valenzuela, Malabon, Navotas mababa ang lugar na ‘yan. Kelangan sa lugar na yan ‘yang Tullahan river which is main drainage imbis na paliko liko eh diretso ang pagbukas ng ilog na iyon…’Yung baha sa Maynila minsan maling engineering noong araw yan yung lagusan ng tubig na yan natayuan ng something…so tutulungan namin linisin iyan,” Ang added.[Translation: I, Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation, am volunteering now. I will be the one to help the whole of Metro Manila with the flooding, at no cost to the people, and at no cost to the government.]
