Since the Philippines is part of the typhoon belt in the Pacific, with an average of 20 typhoons visiting us yearly, low-lying cities like Marikina are always subject to damage. The damages brought about by typhoons and flood has impact to the economic value of Marikina River.
That is why the country must recognize the vulnerability of Marikina City who has a river right in its midst and come up with a strong mitigation plans not only thru infrastructures.
Marikina River is the heart of Marikina and soul of every Marikenyo. And its rehabilitation in 1996 proved to the world what strong leadership and political will can do to save lives and protect the environment.
This is the challenge for our country and for Marikina City –to come up with a strong and complex river environmental management program and a sustainable tourism program that will sustain and improve the quality of life in the river and help mitigate flooding.
Our leader must immediately come up with strong laws and ordinances to protect the river from pollution and toxic waste and the mountains and watersheds surrounding it from getting denuded. This will not only benefit Marikina River but all bodies of water – Pasig River, Manila Bay, Laguna de Bay and all others. Doing these will help increase the economic value in terms of sustainability and monetary and also the non-economic value in terms of biodiversity habitat of flora, fauna and marine animals of the river.
