Better Rivers PH removes 9M tons of waste and silt from 10 river systems
San Miguel Corporation (SMC)’s river cleanup initiative has cleared a critical stretch of the Alabang River, boosting flood resilience in an area bounded by residential subdivisions, public roads, and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Muntinlupa City.
Based on its latest monitoring report, SMC’s Better Rivers PH river cleanup initiative has removed a total of 62,363 metric tons (MT) of silt and waste from the Alabang River, starting from its mouth at Laguna de Bay, through Cupang Bridge, and up to its section near the PNR Railway Bridge. The effort is now progressing upstream toward the Alabang Viaduct area.
With this development, taken together with other simultaneous river cleanups that SMC is currently undertaking in six other areas north and south of Metro Manila, the company’s Better Rivers PH program has breached 9 million tons of silt and garbage removed from at least 10 major river systems, since 2020.
It can be recalled that SMC began its clearing operations of Alabang River upon the request of the Muntinlupa City local government unit (LGU) and in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), following a flooding incident at the Alabang Viaduct in July 2025.
Now, improved river flow has already been observed as rehabilitation of this critical waterway progresses, well ahead of the rainy season.
In addition to dredging, SMC is also undertaking river widening works, to improve the Alabang river’s carrying capacity and boost flood mitigation. These efforts complement local government-led efforts to relocate informal settler families (ISFs) situated along the riverbanks, and the removal of sheet piles that have encroached into the river, which have restricted water flow and increased flood risk.
“Through these ongoing clean-up and rehabilitation efforts, SMC reaffirms its long-term commitment to flood mitigation and environmental rehabilitation under the Better Rivers PH program, working closely with local government units to protect communities and promote cleaner, safer, and more resilient waterways,” said SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
Also gaining headway are ongoing Better Rivers PH operations in the Las Piñas River system (Las Piñas and Zapote rivers), covering 1.84 kilometers, with a total of 179,558 metric tons of dredged silt and waste removed; the Parañaque River system, spanning 9.14 kilometers with 368,414 metric tons removed; and rivers in Laguna (Landayan, San Pedro, and Silang–Sta. Rosa), where 0.83 kilometers has yielded 93,550 metric tons of silt and waste.
Efforts north of Metro Manila include the start of cleaning up the Tullahan River upstream in Novaliches area, which has thus far covered 300 meters upstream with 20,536 metric tons of waste removed; and the Tanza River in Navotas, where 5,166 tons of waste has been removed from a 250-meter area.
Meanwhile, ongoing cleanup operations along the Tabang River in Bulakan and Malolos, Bulacan have reached 8.03 kilometers, with 29,488 metric tons of waste and silt collected.
Along with previously completed cleanups of the Bulacan, Pampanga, and Laguna river systems, as well as the Tullahan, Pasig, San Juan, and Navotas rivers, Better Rivers PH has rehabilitated a total river length of 184.33 kilometers, removing 9.01 million metric tons of garbage, silt, and debris as of March 22.
