Being a volunteer for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay is not as easy as what some people think after Manila City government reminded that they need to get a permit first before helping to bring back the beauty of the said tourist spot.
In a post on February 4, Atty. Trixie-Cruz Angeles posted a screenshot of a message from her fan, informing that Manila City government asked them to pay for a permit so they can participate in the Manila Bay cleanup.
The informant is a member of a big bike group who wanted to help the government in cleaning the tourist spot.
“May nagsabi po kasi na required po mag bayad ng permit bago po magvolunteer sa clean up po. I have a pic po of my convo with one of the dragon boat rider who is a cyclists po.” the informant said.
“Ang naniningil po ay yung manila municipality,” he added.
A day after the post, the City government of Manila confirmed the reports that they’re asking groups to get a permit first, however they denied that they asking for money.
They said that volunteers need to cooperate with the City government first so they can arrange a schedule on when they’re going to Manila Bay.
“We are not asking for any fee. What we are trying to do here is for these interested groups to coordinate with the city hall so that we can arrange the schedule. We cannot just allow groups to go there because it would attract so many people. What we ask is for them to secure a permit for their activities,” City administrator Erickson Alcovendaz said.
Meanwhile, Bambi Purisima, media information officer of Manila labeled the story circulating on social media as ‘fake news’ to give a bad impression on President Rodrigo Duterte’s project to bring back the beauty of Manila Bay.
However, some netizens are not convinced by the explanation of the Manila City Government and started to criticize it’s Mayor on social media.
“Ano na naman ‘tong pakulo mo Mayor? Nag-volunteer na nga para maglinis ng Manila Bay tapos papahirapan mo pang pakuhain ng permit mula sa City Hall?!” the page Gising Maynila wrote.
“Wala ka talagang magawang matino noh. Hindi ka na nga nakakatulong, nanggugulo ka pa para magkaroon ka lang ng ‘publicity’.” it added.
“Kung GUSTO ko maglinis VOLUNTARILY doon sa Manila Bay,wag niyo akong utusan kung anong araw maglilinis. Ibang usapan na yun!” Ramon Duterte said in his Facebook post.