2 parks in Bicutan showcase 'probinsyudad' living
Published Jul 24, 2018 07:14 pm
By Dhel Nazario
“We’ve always wanted to stay true to our ‘probinsyudad’ principle, striking a balance between modernization and tradition, advancement and the environment, urban and rural,” said Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano said.
Cayetano added that "it comes naturally" to convert unused, vacant or abandoned lots so that they work to the benefit of the people.
Concretizing this agenda now are two parks in Barangay Lower Bicutan: Taguig Lakefront Community (TLC) Park and Taguig Integrated Urban Farm.
A former dumpsite, TLC Park is a 600-square-meter lot which was inaugurated as a park back in 2014.
“We are creating a place where every visitor – regardless of their social status – can enjoy themselves, with the company of their families or friends," said Taguig Manpower Training Center officer-in-charge Maria Anabelle “Bingle” Santos, who spearheads the management of what has now turned into a destination for many Taguigenos.
Santos said that TLC Park offers various activities that are all free of charge. It has traditional Filipino games for youngsters, a train ride for toddlers, biking for families, film showings for barkada and a basketball court. Students can study or practice there, with so much room to go about.
Park personnel have conducted daily afternoon classes for kids who’ve become regular visitors, where they teach some lessons in basic literacy, good manners and, of course, singing and dancing.
A much bigger land conversion project was the 2500-square-meter farm right beside Lakeshore Hall, known as the Taguig Integrated Urban Farm. The farm, launched in December 2017, now marries the urban with the rural, when for years it served as a dumping ground for garbage.
The urban farm showcases various methods to do farming in the context of a city: vertical farming, wooden rack and pole gardening. All these ways can be learned in a bamboo classroom dedicated to urban agriculture.
It has a coffee shop and an orchidarium surrounded with fruit-bearing trees and vegetables, from tomatoes to eggplants, okra, lettuce, cabbage and mustard, among others.
The harvest does not go to waste, noted City Agriculture Office officer-in-charge Emelita Solis. “Our produce usually goes to the feeding programs conducted by our local government and, in some cases, to different institutions like Bahay Pag-Asa and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology."
The farm exhibits sustainability, wise land use, livability and food security for Taguig residents and visitors, she added.
TLC Park is located at 393 C-6 Road, is open from 7 am to 9 pm every day, except on holidays. Taguig Integrated Urban Farm is located beside Lakeshore Hall in Barangay Lower Bicutan.
The presence of abandoned lots once filled with waste and muck seemed to be a hopeless case in Taguig City until they were turned into beautiful hangouts that best showcase the ‘probinsyudad’ living.
“We’ve always wanted to stay true to our ‘probinsyudad’ principle, striking a balance between modernization and tradition, advancement and the environment, urban and rural,” said Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano said.
Cayetano added that "it comes naturally" to convert unused, vacant or abandoned lots so that they work to the benefit of the people.
Concretizing this agenda now are two parks in Barangay Lower Bicutan: Taguig Lakefront Community (TLC) Park and Taguig Integrated Urban Farm.
A former dumpsite, TLC Park is a 600-square-meter lot which was inaugurated as a park back in 2014.
“We are creating a place where every visitor – regardless of their social status – can enjoy themselves, with the company of their families or friends," said Taguig Manpower Training Center officer-in-charge Maria Anabelle “Bingle” Santos, who spearheads the management of what has now turned into a destination for many Taguigenos.
Santos said that TLC Park offers various activities that are all free of charge. It has traditional Filipino games for youngsters, a train ride for toddlers, biking for families, film showings for barkada and a basketball court. Students can study or practice there, with so much room to go about.
Park personnel have conducted daily afternoon classes for kids who’ve become regular visitors, where they teach some lessons in basic literacy, good manners and, of course, singing and dancing.
A much bigger land conversion project was the 2500-square-meter farm right beside Lakeshore Hall, known as the Taguig Integrated Urban Farm. The farm, launched in December 2017, now marries the urban with the rural, when for years it served as a dumping ground for garbage.
The urban farm showcases various methods to do farming in the context of a city: vertical farming, wooden rack and pole gardening. All these ways can be learned in a bamboo classroom dedicated to urban agriculture.
It has a coffee shop and an orchidarium surrounded with fruit-bearing trees and vegetables, from tomatoes to eggplants, okra, lettuce, cabbage and mustard, among others.
The harvest does not go to waste, noted City Agriculture Office officer-in-charge Emelita Solis. “Our produce usually goes to the feeding programs conducted by our local government and, in some cases, to different institutions like Bahay Pag-Asa and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology."
The farm exhibits sustainability, wise land use, livability and food security for Taguig residents and visitors, she added.
TLC Park is located at 393 C-6 Road, is open from 7 am to 9 pm every day, except on holidays. Taguig Integrated Urban Farm is located beside Lakeshore Hall in Barangay Lower Bicutan.