The Pasig River Rehabilitation Project (PRRP) was one of the flagship projects of former President Fidel Ramos. Funded by the Danish International Development Aid (DANIDA), the PRRP aims to clean up the heavily polluted river to spur tourism growth, carve out new transportation routes and lure foreign investors. A major part of the cleaning up entails the removal of structures located within the 10-meter easement along the riverbanks. This includes the houses of approximately 10,000 urban poor families living along the Pasig River.

When the Estrada administration took over in 1998, the PRRP remained a flagship project. The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), composed of Cabinet members, was created to oversee its implementation. Since its inception in 1993, about 5,000 families have been evicted and relocated to remote areas of Cavite and Montalban: away from their sources of livelihood and with minimal social services available.

In response to the effects of the government’s Pasig rehabilitation project, the Community Organizers Multiversity (CO Multiversity) established partnership with riverside communities to bring into the development equation, the needs and aspirations of marginalized families who have lived many years along the river.

CO Multiversity’s main strategy is community organizing a social development approach that transforms apathetic and marginalized sectors of society into dynamic, participatory and politically responsive communities.

The CO Multiversity riverside community partners and NGOs such as Sagip Pasig Movement (SPM), Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), with the cooperation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have conducted Earthday celebration which gives "Lason sa Ilog Pasig Awards" (Pasig River Poison Awards) every year since 1995 which helped in the enforcement of the industries improvement of industrial waste management.

The partnership of CO Multiversity with the said riverside communities have developed the "People’s Plan which resulted from community based processes in research, house design options, and negotiation with local government units and the agencies dealing with Pasig River.

For the past six years, CO Multiversity has worked closely with NGOs and POs in the affected riverside communities spanning the cities of Pasig, Manila, Mandaluyong and Makati. Organizing work in these urban poor communities is aimed at pursuing in-city relocation. POs along the river are mobilizing their forces, calling on the local governments and various line agencies to recognize their alternative housing proposals.

Together with the pursuit of an in-city relocation, organizing initiaves are also being conducted in Kasiglashan Village 1, a relocation site located in San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal. The people’s organization in the area are currently working on their access to basic services and the development of a community-based estate management plan.

In 1998, almost a thousand affected families living within the 10 meter easement started the process of exploring different alternative options to government far-away relocation site. Since then the Dikeside Organization of Punta (DSOP) formulated diffrent options such as the rechannelling of the river, reclaimation and constructing a boardwalk extending towards the river.

After a series of community workshops, and thorough analysis of the technical working committee composed of local leaders, architects, and other technical people, a Punta People’s Plan was officially submitted to the PRRC for approval. This plan aims to acquire a portion of the Marcelo Steels property, a 9 hectare idle land for more than 20 years. The plan needs 3 hectares of the said property to be able to construct a low-cost medium rise building that would house all the affected families along the river.

The community is currently negotiating with the government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for full support on this plan. Feasibility study is being done by the technical working committee.

note: partners since 1994 - present