DOF HQ in compliance with clean water requirements ahead of Manila Bay rehab

January 20, 2019

The ongoing refurbishment of the six-story building that houses the central office of the Department of Finance (DOF) along Roxas Boulevard in Manila now includes a state-of-the-art sewage treatment facility that is now operational way ahead of the Duterte administration’s program to rehabilitate the heavily polluted Manila Bay.

With President Duterte directing the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to spearhead efforts to rehabilitate Manila Bay, among the DENR's first directives was to order establishments surrounding Manila Bay, which include the DOF, to put up their respective sewage treatment plants (STPs) within three months or face sanctions.

Director Alvin Diaz, who heads the DOF’s Central Administration Office, said the Department was “way ahead of the curve” in relation to the ongoing rehabilitation efforts because its building now has its own STP that became operational in November 2018 using the latest technology in treating sewage water effluent discharged into Manila Bay.

He said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III approved in 2017 the recommendation of the project design and management team in charge of the refurbishment of the DOF Building to include an STP isolated from the adjoining Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) compound, using the latest sewage treatment technologies.

The DOF is among the few government agencies whose offices have their own STPs utilizing the latest sewage treatment technologies, said Diaz who oversees the project design and management of the DOF building's ongoing renovation.

“Among the government agencies with their STPs are the City Hall of Caloocan, the Casimiro Henares Hospital in Rizal, Antipolo Hospital, Langhari Public Market in Malabon, and the Molino Public Market in Bacoor, Cavite to name a few,” he added.

“The DOF Building’s sewage treatment facility discharges effluent into the Manila Bay that is classified as Class C, which is fit for fishing and the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic resources. This is the minimum standard of the DENR for water being discharged into the bay. We are now conducting tests to check what still needs to be done so that our STP can meet the Class B requirement, which is fit for bathing and swimming,” Diaz said.

He pointed out that the STP as well as the other environment-friendly features incorporated in the ongoing renovation of the DOF Building could be considered as a model for other government structures up for refurbishment.

“In fact, we are currently working for the DENR’s issuance of a discharge permit that will validate DOF’s compliance with existing rules and regulations,” Diaz said.

The construction of the STP started last year. The facility became operational two months ago, Diaz said.

He said that under government regulations, the DOF is required to put up its own STP because of the lack of a public sewer 100 meters from the building site.

The Supreme Court had ordered in a 2008 ruling 13 government agencies, led by the DENR, to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve” the historic Manila Bay. The high court’s directive required these government agencies to maintain the waters of Manila Bay to a level fit for “swimming, skin diving and other forms of contact recreation.”

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, the waters of Manila Bay continued to deteriorate over the years, with its fecal coliform level today reported at 330 million most probable number (MPN) per 100 millimeters (ml). The acceptable Class SB level fit for swimming is 100 MPN/100 ml. DMS