San Miguel Corp. brings Better Rivers PH cleanup to Mandaue

SAN Miguel Corporation (SMC) has expanded its long-running Better Rivers PH program to Cebu by launching the Butuanon River cleanup in Mandaue City, directly supporting the government’s Oplan Kontra Baha initiative. 

The project targets a heavily silted four-kilometer section from the river’s mouth, which previously overflowed during Typhoon Tino in November 2025 and caused widespread local flooding. Funded entirely by SMC at no cost to the government or taxpayers, the initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Mandaue City government to help protect communities where the company has operated major facilities for generations.

To execute the cleanup, San Miguel Brewery Inc. is providing at least six excavators and several barges to remove the massive accumulation of silt, waste, and soil deposits that block the river’s outflow to the Mactan Channel. 

This project builds on SMC’s extensive environmental track record, which has successfully desilted nearly 9.2 million metric tons of waste from over 190 kilometers of major Luzon river channels since 2020. 

SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang emphasized that this joint effort will restore the river’s flood-carrying capacity, reflecting the companys continuous commitment to stabilizing crucial waterways and safeguarding vulnerable rural and urban