The controversial “clean-up drive” video report resurfaced in an online community, showing trash being dumped in Manila Bay just for the sake of a photo-op.
On Wednesday, October 8, a Reddit user shared a clip from a 2017 “TV Patrol” report by ABS-CBN, featuring then-Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada leading the clean-up efforts at the famous harbor.
“This video never gets old. The reporter is all of us,” the Redditor wrote, accompanied by a man-doing-a-facepalm emoji.
The clip showed broadcast journalist Jasmine Romero witnessing an individual from a boat dumping garbage in Manila Bay.
“‘Yan, tapon natin ‘yan, ha!” a female individual said.
“My God, is that a joke? Is that a joke?” Romero, who was in the boat, asked in disbelief.
“Hindi po, hindi po,” the female individual said.
“Ah, ano ho? Ano ho ‘yan?” Romero reacted.
“Hindi po, pupulutin po ulit para ho—” the individual said.
“Pupulutin ulit?” Romero asked.
“Opo,” the woman responded.
“My God… clean up ba ‘yan?” the journalist reacted.
“Clean up po ‘yan. Ah, pupulutin lang po ulit para lang may photo,” the woman replied.
“A-ano po?” Romero asked, still in disbelief.
This video never gets Old. The reporter is all of us. 🤦♂️
byu/RedditorofReddit07 inPhilippines
The post has earned about 270 upvotes and 12 reactions from the “r/Philippines” community on Reddit.
“Ramdam ko parang ganito din nangyayari sa clean up sa government natin. Staged tapos papalabasin na clean up na, when, in fact, dumadagdag lang sa problema ‘yung ginagawa nila,” a Redditor commented.
“If you think about it, this is some form of corruption and grandstanding by politicians. Politicians will ‘fix’ a problem they themselves created,” another Reddit user wrote.
“What the f*ck was that?!?!” a different Redditor commented.
The incident
“TV Patrol” aired a video report in 2017 covering a clean-up drive led by then-Manila Mayor Estrada.
“Pinangunahan ni Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada ang cleanup drive sa Manila Bay nitong Biyenes ng umaga ngunit imbes na linisin ito, nagtapon pa ang ilan ng basura para sa publicity,” it said in a video description.
Estrada later claimed that the incident was an act of “sabotage” against him.
“I have nothing to do with that. It’s sabotage. I was invited there to lead the cleanup drive of Manila Bay,” he said in a previous interview.
Apart from the female individual who dumped the garbage, there were divers ensuring it floated near the boat where Estrada was.
When asked if he was aware of any directive to dispose of waste in Manila Bay for publicity photos, he said in the televised report, “for publicity only, but we are serious in cleaning Manila Bay.”
Sol Arboladura, who was the director of the Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau at the time, said in the report that the clean-up drive was not initiated by the city government but by the Rizal Park Hotel.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources later emphasized that dumping garbage into Manila Bay is punishable by law.