Students and volunteers in Angono, Rizal are now replicating the Marcos administration's sustainable agriculture initiatives in their own little way. This came as students of Systems Technology Institute (STI) and University of Rizal Systems (URS) have partnered with the local government unit to propagate the so-called “HAPAG Kay PBBM” (Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay, Kadiwa’y Yaman, Plants for Bountiful Barangays Movement) in a barangay in the Art Capital of the Country. The HAPAG kay PBBM, which aims to strengthen the ability of every barangay in adopting the sustainable agriculture initiatives of the national government, has been started by the greening program participants in Barangay San Pedro, Angono. During the first day of the project, Barangay Chairman Jonathan Hernandez and Kagawad Marjorie Cabalon, with the aide of the barangay’s Solid Waste Management Team, guided the students in the urban gardening program that also includes not just the planting of vegetables and fruit bearing trees, but also in waste segregation and recycling and cleaning the environment. ( STI and URS students participate in a 5-day sustainable greening project in Angono, Rizal) (Photo from Angono Public Information Office's Facebook page)
The STI and URS students participated in the greening project at the compound of the Materials Recovery Facility of Barangay San Pedro, for five days. The office of Angono Mayor Jeri Mae Calderon said part of the sustainable greening initiatives of the local government to encourage urban gardening and backyard farming in the town among the residents is the distribution of free seedlings by the Municipal Agriculture Office. The distribution of seedlings will be held starting at 8 a.m. on May 17, 2023, Tuesday, at the town’s Plaza Rizal. Angono's MAO head, Dr. Joel Tuplano, said those who are interested to get the seedlings should bring bags or plastic cups.