MANILA Philippines — A sewage treatment plant in Pasay City was inaugurated on Tuesday in a bid to improve the water quality of Manila Bay.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led the inauguration of the Libertad Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).

“In an effort to rehabilitate Manila Bay, we shall collaborate regularly to make sure we succeed in our mission,” MMDA Acting Chairman Atty. Don Artes said during the inauguration rites.

The Libertad STP will treat wastewater from the Tripa de Gallina, which discharges wastewater into the Libertad Channel and drains it into Manila Bay, Artes added.

Accordingly, MMDA will be in charge of the maintenance and operations of the treatment plant.

The Libertad STP is part of the three treatment plants, along with STPs in Tullahan-Tinajeros River and Las Piñas-Zapote River, that realizes the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program of the MMDA and DENR, which was launched recently.

Citing data from the DENR, the continuous rehabilitation works have been effective in reducing fecal coliform levels and thus improving water quality of the Manila Bay.

“I am happy to share with you that the said STP, which had an influent of 170 million mpn/100ml last December 2022, was able to have an effluent of 2 mpn/100ml, which is within the fecal coliform standard of 100mpn/100ml,” said DENR Undersecretary Atty. Jonas R. Leones in the inauguration rites.

“This will surely not be the last STP we have as the establishment of this infrastructure in other areas covered by Manila Bay has already been put into plan this year. We hope to develop other facilities in other regions of Manila Bay to efficiently treat wastewater and, eventually, avoid unfavorable health risks to residents and aquatic ecosystems,” he added.

The chair noted that the sewage treatment plant is a collaboration between MMDA, DENR, and the Philippine Reclamation Authority.