

IMAGE Courtesy of British Council

(SPOT.ph) You can easily compare Pasig River to EDSA in the sense that they both bisect the Philippine capital of Manila and serve as a major thoroughfare for commuters in the Metro. If EDSA is hounded by a seemingly irreparable traffic jam, Pasig River is dealing with the pollution problem. A group of artists now aim to rehabilitate and restore this river to what it once was: an important transport route during Spanish Manila.

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IMAGE Courtesy of British Council



IMAGE Courtesy of British Council

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London-based artists Malarko Hernandez and Cristina Lina

This starts with OneRedesign Manila's Art for Urban Change project where muralists decorate nine pumping stations along Pasig River—the first one being Leeroy New and Janno Abenoja's creation on the Escolta pumping station in November 2016. A new mural created by London-based duo Cristina Lina and Malarko Hernandez was unveiled on June 16 at the Makati Pumping Station.



IMAGE Courtesy of British Council

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IMAGE Courtesy of British Council

The next locations are scheduled to by mounted with murals by the end of August through the help of selected Filipino artists: Archie Oclos, Ged Alangui, Kris Abrigo, Luigi Almuena, Ralph Eya and Hospicio de San Jose youth residents, and Team Manila Graphic Design Studio. They all went through a careful selection process under an advisory group composed of Julia Nebrija (MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations), Leeroy New, Patrick Flores (Curator at the UP Vargas Museum), and Lai del Rosario (Head of Arts and Creative Industries, British Council).

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IMAGE Courtesy of British Council



IMAGE Courtesy of British Council

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"As far as we know it's quite grim along the Pasig River so we can brighten it out a little bit. A little bit of culture, a little bit of poetry. A little bit goes along way," exclaims Hernandez in a call-for-volunteers video. It is with high hopes that this step will slowly (but surely) help in developing a waterway that could maybe possibly solve our transportation and traffic problems.



IMAGE Courtesy of British Council

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The Pasig River Art for Urban Change is spearheaded by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in partnership with British Council, Davies Paints, San Miguel Holdings, and OneReDesign Manila. Everyone is encouraged to volunteer in this inspiring project.

For more information, visit OneRedesign Manila's website.