The local government of Pasig and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) signed on Monday, April 18, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the implementation of a Climate Resilient and Localized Urban Greening Plan (CRLUGP).
The principal signatories to the MOA were Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, DENR-NCR Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan, Forester Arturo Calderon, the chief of the Production Forest and Management Section of the DENR-NCR, and Councilor Edith Santiago, chairperson of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Human Ecology in the city.
The MOA was signed during the flag raising ceremony at the Pasig City Hall.
The CRLUGP aims to integrate and develop green spaces in highly-urbanized localities through multi-sectoral exchanges of resources and expertise.
The plan seeks to respond to the challenges posed by the climate crisis such as extreme weather conditions that have led to an increase in typhoons in the country, as well as pollution and destruction of ecosystems.
Through the CRLUGP, the DENR-NCR will assist the local government in determining focal areas to establish green spaces within the city.
It will provide the affiliated sectors of the local government with seedlings, planting materials, and technical assistance, along with ornamental plants and trees to aid in fostering these green spaces.
The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and Solid Waste and Management Office (SWAMO) will be the principal local government sectors that will initiate the projects and coordinate with the DENR.
Caancan said that green spaces are the "key to sustainable development in the city and country."
She also noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened the importance of open, green spaces in communities.
Sotto recognized the urgency of the issues presented by climate change, and stressed the local government's commitment in environmental protection and conservation.
"Ito'y isa sa mga bagay na ayaw natin pagusapan, o tingin natin matagal pa 'yan...Kung hindi natin pagtutuunan ng pansin ito, sooner rather than later mabibigla na lang tayo na ganito na pala ang effect . Kailangan ngayon pa lang, pagtuunan na natin ng pansin ang ating kalikasan ( is one of the things we don't talk about or we delay discussions on...If we don't address it, sooner rather than later, we will be caught unprepared by its effects. We need to conserve our environment as early as now)," Sotto said.
The event was part of the city's week-long celebration leading up to Earth Day 2022 on Friday, April 22.