Buhay Party-list Rep. Joselito Atienza on Sunday said Manila Bay being “swimmable” is still years away. He said it may take “several years” before the public could enjoy swimming safely in the waters of Manila Bay at the rate households in the National Capital Region are being connected to a sewage system. “Sadly, we expect the bay’s fecal coliform levels to stay extremely elevated in the years ahead, considering that some 85 percent or 13.9 million of the water-served population in Metro Manila are still not hooked up to a sewage network,” Atienza said.

Araja, R. N. (2021, May 3). 'Manila Bay years away from being swimmable'. Manila Standard, p. A4.