Out of 178 towns and cities within the Manila Bay watershed area, 95 have not been complying with environmental laws, according to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. He warned the local officials in areas connected either to Manila Bay or its tributaries that they would face administrative charges if they fail to cooperate with the national government in its rehabilitation efforts. ADVERTISEMENTCiting the results of the 2018 regional interagency committee assessments and on-site inspections, Año said that of the 95 cities and towns, 16 of them had the “worst problems.” However, he did not say what these problems were. Breakdown by regionOf the 95, 56 were in Central Luzon; 37 in Calabarzon; and two in Metro Manila. The compliance assessment results were shared by Año with local government officials concerned in a forum on the rehabilitation of Manila Bay held on Monday.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 14, 2019 21:23 UTC