This is part assignment (for the online course called How To Change The World offered for free by Wesleyan University via Coursera.org) and part call-to-action for the rehabilitation of a creek located between Escriva Drive and Gold Loop, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Please contact the author of this slide show for any leads on how to clean up the polluted creek.

1. The Stinky Bridge
Justine C. Tajonera
Case Study: A Commons Shared by the
Community of Escriva Drive and Gold Loop of
Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines
An assignment for How To Change The World
(an online course offered by Wesleyan University via
Coursera.org)
2014-06-29

2. Welcome to my neighborhood
Ortigas Center is a business district
in Pasig City. A lot of office buildings
and condominiums are located here
due economic activity (the
Philippine Stock Exchange is only a
few blocks away) and limited space.
This is a highly developed area.
There are hardly any common
spaces for people to enjoy like
gardens or parks. Most people
congregate in shopping malls.

3. Escriva Drive: NEDA and the UA&P
The NEDA
(National Economic
Development
Authority) is located
along Escriva Drive.
Also along this
street is the
University of Asia
and the Pacific and
the Center for
Research and
Communication.

4. A Stinky Bridge
Along this same street is a small
alley, actually a bridge,
connecting Escriva Drive to Gold
Loop, the street parallel to
Escriva which also loops into
Pearl Drive.
My family has nicknamed this
bridge The Stinky Bridge
because every time we pass it,
we cannot help but smell the
stench of rotten garbage.
Small%alley/%
bridge%

5. A polluted creek in commons
Instead of a lovely park or garden that
our small community holds in
common, we have a small creek that
stinks to the high heavens because our
neighborhood has thrown garbage into
it.

6. It is literally full of garbage

7. It is not the only site of garbage
The picture on the left
is an open area along
the street with some
garbage openly
dumped in full view of
passersby.
However, the creek is
hidden from plain view
and thus, gets more
uncollected garbage
dumped into it.

8. A Tragedy of The Commons
It is a clear example of The Tragedy of
The Commons. The creek is not owned by
anyone and no one seems to care. While
no one is looking and for reasons of
convenience, garbage is surreptitiously
dumped into the creek.
Everyone turns a blind eye (or in this
case, a clipped nose).

9. The Challenge: Government or
Community Action
Well, I’m sick of it. I will be
posting these images on social
media and I am doing the
following:
1) Asking help from the
regulators (the Department
of Public Works and
Highways and the local
Pasig City government)
2) Asking help from the
community and local NGOs
on how to arrange a clean-
up of this piece of
commons.
Let’s see who responds first. Or
if there will be any response at
all.

10. This is the vision
Picture attribution: http://greatecology.com/watershed-era-urban-river-restoration/

11. Cause to Hope
• My hope is that urban creeks and rivers will be cleaned up and restored like the story that I
found online: http://greatecology.com/watershed-era-urban-river-restoration/
• The bigger project is actually our Pasig River. The small creek in Escriva Drive is only a
small tributary of this polluted river. I hope that in my lifetime I get to see this river fully
restored.
• The picture on the left is the Pasig River when it was at the height of its pollution. The
picture on the right is after a rehabilitation project led by Gina Lopez of the KBPIP (Kapit
Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig). So there’s hope.
• Picture and background attribution:
http://iamtravelinglight.com/2013/02/07/pasig-river-a-future-tourist-attraction-its-
possible/