(Image From http://www.daylife.com/photo/0eQX9ku8MK9mJ )
No one, absolutely nobody, among the inhabitants of Metro Manila would register shock at the sight of so mundane a city fixture as the Pasig River. This dense and dominating body of water cutting a wide and swirling path across nearly the whole width of the metropolis has by now been taken for granted by everyone. Of course it is polluted, foetid, and as grimy as an underground sewer. Of course no one in their right minds would bathe in it, since this biological habitat has most definitely been taken over by organisms hostile to anything healthy and alive (albeit there are still a few poor wretched souls who still bother to take a dip to escape the heat). Of course it is regarded more an open freeway to rusty, muck-encrusted trawlers and tugboats than a river. And of course it is the catchbasin for every sort of industrial and domestic waste. Generations of Metro Manila's inhabitants have regarded the Pasig River as such and this same attitude would arguably stick for a few more generations to come.
How far and distant the idea of what a river ought be to the populace of such a Big City, already become the domain of high-rise buildings and condominiums scrambling and competing for space with concrete residences and hackney ghetto communities. As far and distant as the rivers and tributaries of water still accommodating many remaining less-urbanized areas, where they provide food, irrigation, livelihood, and the sparkle of nature less-defiled.
In Metro Manila, a simpler disturbance such as a house fire would create more of a stir than one glance at the sorry and dire state of the Pasig River, something that has been carrying on for quite a longer stretch of time.
Yes, I've been city-bred, but this has not insulated me from exploring greener and more environmentally-sound locations. What I notice there is that rivers are apprehended more in this way:
( Photo courtesy of http://i.pbase.com/u26/kiko6/large/31652469.5LOBOCRIVER6.jpg )Looking at the image above, one cannot help but be drawn in to this river's peacefulness and pristine clarity. You could almost see yourself throwing all caution to the wind and diving in, feeling assured that doing so would be among one of this earth's greatest and nearly unfathomable blessings. After all, aren't rivers meant to be so?
Here in Metro Manila, I always hear of people longing for water. The tropical heat is no joke, and the yearning for any escape is certainly justified. Working professionals spend great sums on lengthy expeditions to distant beaches and swimming resorts for this luxury. It sounds farfetched to imagine today that there was a time when Metro Manila folk didn't have to embark on such costly getaways to enjoy the bounty of water. Just before World War II, the Pasig River afforded both the rich and poor this very same solace.
Mention this to any passing city-person right now and it would sound like some cheesy attempt at humor. However, if one would only take the time to read a bit of the city's history, it would yield that same precise fact, and remains a part of the relevant past which cannot be denied.
Back then, the Pasig River was sanitary enough to take a splash in, never mind that people also washed their clothing there and took to riding boats on it. Back then, this river was the romantic and sweetly hospitable river anyone would be grateful to have right at their doorsteps. The Pasig River's importance those days was of such a paramount degree that the Presidential Palace was built on its flanks, and still stands there today. Which would only mean that the river was once also the playground of the high and mighty.
What a far cry from what the present generation sees--a woeful, stinking mess.
Being the commuter that I am, travelling to and fro across Metro Manila almost often brings me to the panorama of the Pasig River, somehow always stretching to the horizon. Through all of those times, I could not help but be struck by its breadth and size, and be astonished by how, even after every punishment it has had to endure, the rhythm of its undulations and the gracefulness of its surface still evokes a kind of harmony and stillness seldom experienced amidst the haste, smog, and treachery of the city. Something about it endures in the heart, something approaching the divine within the chaos, if approached properly.
Many civic groups are advocating for the cleanup and renewal of the Pasig River. However, it seems to me that simply proclaiming this as an act to save the environment is showing to be an ineffective slant to motivate people. If only Metro Manila folk were re-educated about what the Pasig River actually once was and what it could still become. Today's generation looks to ultra-chic malls and business districts in Metro Manila as premiere destinations, both in that they are mostly air-conditioned, which meets the need to escape the heat, and that they are also haunts for lovelorn couples, which would appeal to the passion and romance of Pinoys. Should these same people be reminded that, not too long ago, the Pasig River also was the bastion of these same pursuits...then it can be that way again.
Just imagine a Pasig River once again a welcome respite from the world, ready and willing to delight you any time along its whole engrossing length, encompassing more acreage and possibilities for amusement and romance than any mall could provide. It could still become that garden in your backyard you struggle hard to maintain and beautify. It could still be that locket which you so perserveringly value above all other possessions, to be kept immaculately unblemished because of its enduring attachment to your heart.
Perhaps, with this healthier respect for what the Pasig River was, and what it could still hold for us and for the generations to come, then there will arrive the possibility that everyone can take part in starting the change.
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