Watch: Noynoy Aquino Falls Into Pasig River While Testing a Boat for Collecting Garbage (Video)

Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III fell into the Pasig River once upon during his presidency. As we all know, the garbage problem in this 25-kilometer long river has been getting worst as time goes by. But in fairness to his administration, there was somehow an effort to clean it. Unfortunately, he literally bathed into the Pasig River. Watch the shocking video below.



As you can see, six people were on board the small boat that was modified to function like a backhoe. And although the video is quite blurred and the faces of the passengers cannot be seen clearly, it is safe to say that one of them is then-President Noynoy Aquino. His yellow shirt with Philippine map, his body gestures, and his forehead strongly suggested.

As the boat slowly reaches the target garbage to be collected, you can see President Aquino somehow trying to explain something to his fellow passengers. But when the boat started to collect the garbage, it started to lean to the left and one passenger fell into the water. With the president having a presence of mind, he slowly transferred to the right side.

With the help of a man, President Noynoy (or PNoy) was able to stay in safe, but only for a while. Apparently, the boat was not able to handle the weight of its left side. Two passengers decided to swim away for safety. In split seconds, the boat is turned on its side or upside down. All the passengers including Aquino fell into the dirty Pasig River.



Based on history, Pasig River used to be a major source of food, water, food, transportation, and livelihood for Manila residents. But after World War II, factories were built nearby, and they dumped their waste into the river. People also began to live on the shores even without having proper sewage facilities, garbage collection among others.



The past governments initiated some rehabilitation projects of the Pasig River. In 1999, then-President Joseph “Erap” Estrada signed Executive Order No. 54 establishing the new PRRC (Pasig River Rehabilitation Program (PRRP). Last February, then-DENR Secretary Gina Lopez has tapped French public company SIAAP for the rehabilitation of Pasig River.

Contributed by Renato Pasayao