Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto called for a team effort to sustain the cleanliness of the Pasig River during the inauguration of Pineda Park and Pineda Creek on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The inauguration of the improved park and creek at Barangay Pineda in Pasig City was a community activity led by the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Pasig Chapter called “Tindig para sa Ilog Pasig."
The activity is in line with the Philippine Architectural Festival, as well as the celebration of the 450th anniversary of Pasig City.
The UAP aims to pursue an “adopt-a-creek” project and purify the currents of the Pasig River.
“Patuloy nating pagandahin ang ating ilog at ang ating mga tabing-ilog. ‘Yan naman po ang ginagawa natin ngayon ‘no? Kung mapapansin natin ang ilog natin kumpara sa… siguro nung late 90s or early 2000, ‘di hamak na mas malinis po siya ngayon (Let us continue to beautify Pasig river and our neighboring waterways. That is what we are doing right now, right? If we notice our river compared to... maybe in the late 90s or early 2000s, it is much cleaner now),” Sotto said.
“Team effort po ito. Magtulungan po tayo para lalo pang pagandahin, lalo pang mas maging masigla ang ating kalikasan, at lahat po tayo, maliit man o malaki ay may maiaambag ‘no, h'wag po nating kakalimutan ‘yan (It is a team effort. Let us work together to make nature even more beautiful, make nature even more vibrant, where all of us have something to contribute, whether small or big. Let us not forget that),” he added.
Around 600 participants, including the Pasig community, architects, students from different universities, and other private sectors, attended the event.
They planted green walls along the creek and participated in the Pasig River Cleanup.
During the inauguration, Sotto was joined by UAP Pasig Chapter National President Ar. Richard Garcia; Councilor Francis “Kiko” Rustia; Chairman Engr. Francisco De Leon.
Rustia thanked the UAP for collaborating with the city and helping to improve Pasig’s environmental programs.
He said that having pocket parks can be useful to the residents, especially in improving their mental health.
He added that, in partnership with UAP, more pockets of green parks in the city will be created in Pasig.