Filipino-American Vlogger Takes Dangerous Dip Into Manila’s Heavily Polluted Pasig River

Along with his childhood friend from the United States and her friend, Dasovich went to the Pasig River in Manila, Philippines, as part of a prank.

The current state of Pasig River is not as bad as it was back in 1990 when the 25-kilometer (15-mile) long river was considered “biologically dead,” according to Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) executive director, Jose Goitia. However, it is still heavily polluted.

In the video, Dasovich managed to convince his friends, who have never traveled to Asia before, to dive into the river after seeing several children swimming in the incredibly dirty water. He jumped in with them as well.

“The smell, it reeks,” the vlogger said in Filipino. “It’s funny because the foreigners (my friends), they don’t notice how foul smelling it is, or the pollution, they’re just having fun.”

“As cruel of a prank that it was, they didn’t seem to mind much. Distracted by the laughter of the kids, and all the commotion and crowds around, they really were just able to enjoy the moment and mingle with the locals,” he continued.

Dasovich also used the opportunity to bring attention and help raise awareness about the state of Pasig River, which he says used to be a “glorious thing, like a natural water park that flowed to the middle of Manila.”

“It can become that again if we all just do our part. One of the biggest issues in the Philippines is definitely its human impact on the environment. And it’s really easy to blame the government or private sectors, but at the end of the day, it really comes down to us — you, me. And without discipline, there won’t be progress,” the vlogger continued in the later part of the video.

Dipping into the world’s second-biggest source of plastic waste in the ocean certainly has severe repercussions. Dasovich admitted that he got sick the following day after the prank. Fortunately, his friends were safe from harm.

He also shared links to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Save Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF) Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in the video for those who want to help the environment.

“I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the Pasig River,” Dasovich said before ending the video.

Dasovich’s stunt helped attract the attention of his thousands of his viewers.

Images via YouTube / Wil Dasovich