Not Much Improvement Regarding The Water In Manila Bay

It has been more than 5 years after the Supreme Court ordered government agencies to cleanse the water in Manila Bay, but there has been no progress in terms of water quality. This was bad news shared by the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) executive director Noel Gaerlan to Rappler during a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) event on February 14. 

This was the bad news shared by Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) executive director Noel Gaerlan to Rappler during a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) event on Friday, February 14.

An indicator of water quality said that coliform is a bacteria found in through the fecal matter of all the warm-blooded animals including humans. The higher the coliform levels, the more likely other bacteria are present, and the more polluted the water.

The Writ of Continuing Mandamus for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay called on the government in 2008 to restore Manila Bay water to class "B" level, meaning fit for swimming and other forms of contact recreation. The ideal coliform level for this water class is 1,000 MPN (most probable number per 100 milliliters).

Garlan said that the government hasn't made significant headway in cleaning up the Bay because of two reasons: growing population in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the lack of water treatment facilities to make sure sewage going into Manila Bay is clean.

The agencies named by the mandamus as responsible for Manila Bay's rehabilitation are the DENR, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Coast Guard, Metro Manila Development Authority, and the Department of Health. The MBCO is the agency in charge of coordinating all efforts of the departments.

News Regarding Epidemic health

Dengue cases in the Philippines reaches 100,000 mark

The picture shown above shows the record of dengue cases confined at the San Lazaro Hospital in Sta Cruz, Manila.    

There is still 3 months left in 2015, yet there had been cases of Dengue spread all over the country and is nearing the 100,000 mark. The Department of Health (DOH) said. 

Based on the report from the Department of Health (DOH) Epidemiology Bureau, there had been 92,807 cases involving dengue across the country from January 1 to September 19. The Department of Health (DOH) said this is 23.5 percent higher than the 75,117 cases involved during the same period in 2014; however, this year the death toll only had 269 cases and was lower than the death toll last year that only had 316 cases last year.

Central Luzon had the highest cases of dengue with a number of 14,127 cases, followed by Calabarzon with 14,082 cases, National Capital Region with 10,385 cases, Ilocos with 8,136 cases, Northern Mindanao with 6,451 cases, Cagayan Valley with 5,677 cases, and Soccsksargen with 5,552 cases. Records also showed that cases have increased in the regions of Cagayan Valley at 176%, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) at 164%, Metro Manila at 156%, Central Luzon at (119%), Calabarzon at 95%, Ilocos at 91%, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) at 41%, and Central Visayas at 13%.

Bulacan and Cavite have been declared as a state of calamity in their respective areas due to the increasing number of dengue cases and deaths resulted. Sen. Nancy Binay called for an inquiry of the increasing number of dengue cases resulted in the country. Binay filed Senate Resolution No. 1608 seeking explanation from the Department of Health on how could it control the spread of dengue.

Health Secretary Janette Garin reiterated the DOH’s calls for the public to be vigilant against dengue by eliminating the possible breeding sites of mosquitoes.
Dengue is spread by the bites primarily of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which thrive in clean and stagnant water abundant during rainy days. The DOH reminded the public that such mosquitoes could also proliferate even during the dry spell caused by the El Niño season if water containers are not properly covered.

A person suffering from dengue has high fever (40°C); headaches; joint, bone or muscle pains; pain behind the eyes; nausea or vomiting; swollen glands and rashes. The flu-like symptoms would last for two to seven days, after an incubation period of four to ten days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, according to the World Health Organization.

Candaba Swamp

Reference of the 1st picture: http://www.psdn.org.ph/wetlands/gallery_candaba.htm
Reference of the 2nd picture: http://kenngo.aminus3.com/image/2008-02-03.html

The Candaba Swamp is located in Central Luzon, it is a vast complex of freshwater ponds, swamps, and marshes which are composed of surrounding areas of flooded grassland, arable land, and palm savanna on a vast alluvial flooded plain. Flood occurs during the wet seasons, but dries out during the dry or sunny seasons and converts to rice fields and watermelon plantations. It is also crucial for agricultural and fish production, water for irrigation, and natural flood retention.



This swamp or marshland is a crucial area for the life cycle of ducks and for the winter of ducks especially in October and November when the swamp is occupied by thousands of birds. In all, 60 species of birds use the marsh for feeding and roosting. 

The main area for waterfowl is an impoundment of about 300 ha, with a mixture of open shallow water, small islands, and rafts of floating vegetation, adjacent to the Pampanga River about 9 km north of Baliwag. The impoundment is used as a fish pond during the rainy season, and then drained in January or February to be used for agriculture. Candaba Swamp acts as a natural flood retention basin holding wet season overflow from the Maasim, San Miguel, Garlang, Bulu and Penaranda Rivers, and draining into the Pampanga River. The natural retention capacity is estimated at approximately 1.5 billion cubic metres.

The Candaba Swamp then continues to get drained or converted to wet agriculture severely limiting the homes for waterfowls. Others converted to fishponds which causes vegetation grounds to be patchy. Siltation is apparent but can be controlled by ensuring that the upland vegetation cover is adequate especially in Sierra Madre. A small portion of the swamp is declared as a sanctuary for birds and became famous for a site for bird watching, protection is need in order to manage water levels to maintain the services that were derived from the wetland.  Reference: http://www.psdn.org.ph/wetlands/wetland_candaba.htm Source: The National Wetlands Action Plan for the Philippines Published by: Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau Department of Environment and Natural Resources Source: The National Wetlands Action Plan      for the Philippines Published by: Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Reference for the pic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candaba,_Pampanga