It is just a single flow of water that has given rise to the complexity and diversity of all life that we know of today. Rivers are the foundations of civilizations throughout the course of human history, from the Nile, which gave birth to the early Egyptians, giving water and food that has thrived even after 30 million years, to the Amazon, which stretches across the whole continent of South America, nourishing the unparalleled diversity of flora and fauna that can be found in its forests. Rivers are channels and veins that connect our lands to the vast ocean — bridges of life for all that inhabit the Earth. Bridges that could both unite and divide a city, a country and a nation. The Pasig River is one of these important rivers that have been neglected throughout the decades of developing Manila. In colonial times, the Pasig River was a source of food, water, leisure and transport, but today, it is considered a mere wasteland — forgotten, ill and dead.

Mejia, G. (2019, November 22). Pasig River: The dying vein of Manila. The Manila Times, p. A5.