San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has formalized a partnership with the Quezon City government in a newly signed memorandum of agreement (MOA) to scale up flood control and river rehabilitation efforts under its Better Rivers PH program.
The agreement will see SMC expand its cleanup and dredging operations in the city, focusing on the deepening and widening of key sections of the San Juan River and extending its existing Tullahan River rehabilitation efforts up to the La Mesa Dam. This builds on SMC’s 2020–2022 pilot project, which removed 1.1 million metric tons of silt and solid waste from 10.9 kilometers of the Tullahan River.
Other tributaries identified by the city government will also be cleaned to increase water-carrying capacity and improve outflow to Manila Bay—critical steps toward reducing flooding in vulnerable, low-lying areas of Metro Manila.
As part of the initiative, SMC will deploy dredging equipment, barges, and trucks, along with enhanced debris collection systems to restore natural water flow.
“For five years now, we have been cleaning rivers because we want to help solve the flooding problem,” said SMC chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang. “We don’t profit from this work… This is about doing our part for our communities.”
The agreement underscores SMC’s continued investment in environmental resilience through its Better Rivers PH program, which has so far removed over 8.5 million metric tons of waste from 163 kilometers of waterways, all at no cost to the government.
Quezon City mayor Joy Belmonte lauded the partnership, highlighting its alignment with the city’s broader waste management and environmental strategies. SMC has also offered to support the city in exploring advanced waste management technologies as part of its long-term commitment to sustainability and flood mitigation.
This collaboration marks a significant step in public-private cooperation for urban resilience, reinforcing SMC’s role as a key corporate player in climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
