The Pasig River seemed to outshine South Korean actor Kim Seon-ho in his pictures with his billboards as background in Guadalupe, Makati City.
The Bench global ambassador visited the country for his second fan meeting in Manila on Saturday, July 22. He last visited the Philippines in February this year for his “One, Two, Three. Smile” tour.
In Seon-ho’s viral photos with Pasig River and the billboards as background, Filipinos online noticed the murky waters of the river.
They also quipped about its smell.
“Sorry Seonho, di kami nakapag-linis,” an Instagram user apologized in the comments section.
“Sana all mapanghi,” an Instagram user joked.
The photo was also shared on r/Philippines on Reddit with the caption, “Amoy na amoy yung background”, and Reddit users continued to focus on the Pasig River instead of the actor.
Amoy na amoy yung background
by u/JesusChristCommunist in Philippines
“Matcha [green heart emoji],” a Reddit user compared the river’s color to the Japanese tea.
Other Reddit users tried to explain why social media users kept on saying that the smell of the Pasig River was terrible, especially during the dry season.
“Kapag summer lang mabaho kasi [‘di] napapalitan ng tubig lalo na kapag may riverboat/barge parang nahahalo yung tubig. ngayong maulan tuloy yung agos ng tubig,” a Reddit user explained.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said in a 2016 report on pollution control that the reason why the Pasig River smells bad during the dry season was due to “undiluted sewage” from “indiscriminate dumping of domestic waste” on the river.
In a 2019 report of The STAR, former president Rodrigo Duterte ordered to abolish the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) because he deemed the river “uncleanable.”
All pending projects after the PRRC was abolished were given to the Manila Bay Task Force.
The only recent rehabilitation efforts done for the Pasig River were for rides on the Pasig River Ferry Service to be made free.