Long before he acted decisively on the “cesspool” that, he said, Boracay’s waters had become, President Duterte had singled out Laguna de Bay as a body of water that demanded immediate government attention and action. “Itong Laguna Lake,” he said in his very first State-of-the-Nation Address on July 25, 2016, when he was just a few weeks in office, “Wala na ang fishermen. Iyon na lang… one big fish pen to the other. Makita mo sa plane every time I go to Davao.” He went on to vow: “Laguna Lake shall be transformed into a vibrant economic zone showcasing ecotourism by addressing the negative impact of watershed destruction, land conver­sion, and pollution.”

After Boracay, rehabilitate Laguna de Bay, Manila Bay. (2018, September 30). Manila Bulletin, p. 10.