Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto formally opened on Wednesday, April 20, the Ugong Urban Vegetable Garden at the Marikina River Riverside Boulevard in Barangay Ugong, Pasig City.
The project was made in coordination with the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Councilor Edith Santiago, the chairperson of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Human Ecology (CEPHE), the officials of Barangay Ugong, and the Ugong Credit Cooperative.
In accordance with Ordinance No. 1, series of 2021 or the "Integrated Urban Agriculture Ordinance of Pasig City" authored by Santiago, the vegetable garden will be one of the local government's programs that will ensure food security among its people in the barangay level.
The various kinds of vegetables that will be grown in the garden may be available to all residents of the barangay, particularly the marginalized whose access to nutritional food is challenged due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Building more urban vegetable gardens in the city will help reduce the cost of travel for residents living in far-flung areas.
Urban agricultural technologies such as these would benefit the people's overall health by promoting healthier eating options, increase livelihood opportunities, and addressing environmental concerns in order to nurture climate-resilient communities.
Sotto said the project aims to be a model for a local sustainable tourism site in the city as plans to expand the garden in the area and in other barangays are underway.
Urban garden kits were also turned over to the homeowners associations (HOAs) of the barangay together with the Ugong Cooperative.
The project was one of the activities in the city's week-long celebration of Earth Day 2022 on Friday, April 22.
On Monday, April 18, the local government signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the implementation of a Climate Resilient and Localized Urban Greening Plan (CRLUGP).
The plan will coordinate efforts from the national and local bodies to create and cultivate green spaces within the city.
On Earth Day, April 22, there will be a tree planting activity along Salonga Extension in C5 Center Island, Barangay Bagong Ilog at 9:30 a.m.
The local government held a groundbreaking ceremony for a community eco hub in Barangay Manggahan last March 11.
The eco hub will serve as a more eco-friendly alternative to the traditional materials recovery facility (MRF) and utilize a more sustainable waste management system.
Collected waste will be transformed into ecobricks that may be used for infrastructure projects.