Isko Moreno: ‘Estero Rangers’ eyed to clean up Manila’s waterways again

Former Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.

MANILA, Philippines — The city’s so-called “Estero Rangers” will be mobilized to clean up waterways and canals again if it were up to former Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.

The “Estero Rangers,” a dedicated team tasked with cleaning up waterways, was launched under Domagoso’s administration as part of the intensified city-wide sanitation campaign.

“Naalala ninyo ba ang ‘Estero Rangers’? Sila ang itinalaga para tumutok sa paglilinis ng ilog,” Domagoso said at the “Meet the Manila Press” forum.

Domagoso, now a mayoral candidate in the upcoming 2025 local elections in Manila, said the consistent clean-up of waterways requires daily commitment and teamwork.

The deployment of such teams, the former Mayor said, was part of his administration’s initiatives to support the Manila Bay Clean-Up and Rehabilitation Program.

Acknowledging that the Roxas Boulevard rehabilitation was a national government project at the time, Domagoso highlighted that Manila played a crucial role in supporting the program through local clean-up drives and waterway rehabilitation efforts.

“Kami naman sa City of Manila ay naging bahagi rin ng programa sa aming sariling kakayahan,” he said.

He credited the Department of Public Services (DPS) under former Director Kenneth Amurao for their dedication to keeping the city clean.

“Dahil sa dedikasyon ng mga empleyado ng lungsod, patuloy nilang nililinis ang kalsada ng Maynila araw-araw,” Domagoso said.

Likewise, Domagoso recalled that one of the most notable clean-up operations was in Baseco, where a large portion of the trash was not from residents but from debris carried in by the tides from Manila Bay.

“Ang basura roon ay hindi naman talaga galing sa mga residente. Karamihan sa mga basura ay inaanod lamang mula sa Manila Bay at napapadpad sa dalampasigan,” he explained.

But he expressed pride in seeing the positive impact of these clean-up efforts, saying that the city was still committed to prioritizing cleanliness and order in Manila amid big-ticket infrastructure projects for housing, education and public health.

“Mas mahirap gumawa ng pabahay, paaralan, o modernong ospital, pero ang paglilinis ng lungsod ay kayang-kayang gawin araw-araw dahil nariyan na ang mga kagamitan at tauhan ng lungsod,” he said.