Fund for cleanup may be wasteful

The rehabilitation program for Manila Bay is set to receive P1.35 billion in 2020, according to a recent statement from Buhay party-list Rep. Jose "Lito" Atienza, who expressed misgivings about this measure. We urge lawmakers to review this allocation carefully before passing next year’s national Budget. Unless there are adequate measures to address the source of pollution, that money, as they say, will go down the drain.

For the record, we are for cleaning up Manila Bay. In fact, we support similar programs to clean up and rehabilitate our polluted rivers, lakes and other coastal areas. But any cleanup effort will be a waste of time and money if we do not attend to the source of pollution first. Think about your sink overflowing. Before mopping the floor, you should turn off the faucet first.