THE New Baseco Esplanade will soon rise in Manila, as the total makeover of what used to be known as “Basura Beach” continues, particularly for the benefit of the residents there.
Mayor Isko Moreno said that what used to be a bay of floating garbage in Baseco is now clean and no longer an eyesore, even with a walkable coastal area.
“Tulong-tulong po ang Deparment of Public Services (DPS) Baseco Beach Warriors, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority at Department of Environment and Natural Resources sa cleaning operations. Hindi po tayo matatapos dito. Tuloy-tuloy lang ang ating pagkilos hanggang sa makamit natin ang isang maunlad, maganda at panatag na Maynila. Soon, we will develop the new Baseco Esplanade,” Moreno assured Baseco residents.
The mayor added that numerous lampposts were also installed in the baywalk area to illuminate the area at night and make it safe for promenaders along Baseco Beach.
Moreno had directed city engineer Armand Andres and city electrician Engr. Randy Sadac to recycle the lamp posts that were removed along the stretch of Espana Boulevard in Sampaloc.
“Ayoko pong sayangin ang pera niyong pinambili dito. May value pa naman po, sayang kung itatapon lang. Kaya po ini-atas ko na ayusin ang mga nasabing mga poste ng ilaw,” the mayor said.
The Baseco area used to be a dockyard of the National Shipyards and Steel Corp. In the early 1960s, NASSCO was bought by the Romualdez family via the Bataan Shipping and Engineering Co. from where the name Baseco was derived.
In the 1980s, Baseco became a barangay and informal settlers began trooping there until it became highly-populated, to the point that some residents have built shanties over mounds of garbage. Prior to the reclamation of the entire stretch of Roxas Boulevard, it used to be a beach and now, Baseco Beach is all that remains from the said stretch of the said former beach.
