Revival of the Estero de Paco: A model for La Union's "Mabaho Beach"

As the managing director of Creative Alliance Services, which covers trainings and events production,  I typically visit potential venues for different types of events starting from Pangasinan, La Union, Baguio, Ilocos Sur , up to Ilocos Norte. The last place I scrutinized was the Ortega Sports Complex, which is located  few steps from what is popularly known since we were kids as "Mabaho Beach." This coastline area is where many families thrive in their shanties. From the name itself, I believe I don't need to explain more. 

I left the place hoping for a change. I am hoping that someday it would be a place that my children can enjoy. I wish it would soon be called the "Mabango Beach". I believe in my heart that it is doable if  we, people from the Ilocandia would start now. We can certainly emulate the case of the successful revival of Estero de Paco which only took  10 magical months to clean-up. 

Ten magical months to revive the the smelly, stagnant, garbage-filled, dumping site of Paco Market  - the Estero de Paco? Well, here's how they did it. The Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP), spearheaded by resource mobilization manager Kevin Harris,  and project designer Maja Olivares-Co of SSO.a (Sonia Santiago Olivares and Associates) upon  the invitation of AFI executive director Gina Lopez took on the challenge to become change agents.  Amazingly, the local and national government agencies, various non-government organizations (NGOs), and private volunteers in all walks of life made a united effort to make such dream a reality.

One thousand  three hundred fifty (1,350) families residing along the estero were given affordable housing options coupled with livelihood trainings in Calauan, Laguna. Their shanties were dismantled and KBPIP proceeded to dig up and remove the tons of garbage left behind by over 80 years of abuse to the waterway. Students, military personnel and other volunteers cleaned up the physical garbage in Estero de Paco. Then pollutants left behind was cleared in the most eco-friendly way possible using Coco coir imbued with a mix of helpful bacteria known to decompose garbage. 

With this, the estero is not the only thing given the chance to its second life. The construction of  Paco Market, the once bustling hub of commerce and culture , is underway. Also, as Kevin Harris puts it "“We are changing the lives of people, and of the nation. We transfer informal settlers, provide them with shelter, train them for alternative sources of livelihood. And in the process, we rehabilitate the river. We give a new life to the people, and a new life to the river at the same time, and also the Philippine economy will boom.” 

Undoubtedly, Gina Lopez’s statement in her “From the Heart” column published in the Philippine Star on January 23, 2011, is true. She said and I quote "What we have achieved as a confluence of effort, in a span of just almost two years, is truly remarkable. All we needed to do was look back and remind ourselves of what we’ve lost. We didn’t just forget the river, we also forgot to believe in ourselves, that together, the Filipino people can work miracles. Where once there was hopelessness, together we gave back hope. Where once there was despair, together we dreamed again. A river that once was dead, together we dare bring it back to life once more. The story behind the cleaning of the Pasig River is more than just physically cleaning the river."

With this, I would like to congratulate the heroes of the "Estero de Paco Revival", at the same time post the challenge to my fellow Ilocanos to do same in our own place, for our own benefit, and for the benefit of our future generation.

Viva Estero de Paco! Rescue the beach we named "Mabaho."