NIGHT OWL
Along Zapote River in Las Piñas City lies a thoroughfare that has helped locals navigate the city and nearby areas minus the heavy traffic.
The Riverdrive Project has become a convenient alternate route to many residents of the city and those in nearby areas. It was built for several years in three phases.
The first phase was the 18-kilometer Zapote Riverdrive, which starts at the end of C-5 Extension Road in Barangay Pulanglupa I to Alido Bridge and continuing to an underpass in Zapote Bridge in Barangay Zapote on to Barangays Pamplona I, Pamplona II, Talon II, Moonwalk, Talon I, Almanza II then to Daang Hari Road connected to the MCX Expressway.
The second phase was the six kilometer Las Piñas Riverdrive starting at C-5 Extension Road in Barangay Pulanglupa I then to Barangay Pulanglupa II, Pamplona III up to CAA Road.
The last phase, the five kilometer Molino Riverdrive stretches from Daanghari to Barangay Molino III and Molino VI in Bacoor, Cavite. It connects the Zapote Riverdrive to Manila Bay area.
The Riverdrive Project, spearheaded by Senator Cynthia Villar, serves another purpose aside from providing an alternative road. It is also an effort to prevent flooding in the city and maintain the cleanliness of the river and its tributaries. Prior to the start of the riverdrive construction, a massive cleanup of Las Piñas-Zapote River had to be done.
For decades now, Senator Cynthia has been relentless in her efforts to ensure the cleaning, maintenance and rehabilitation of the Las Piñas-Zapote River. In fact, her Sagip-Ilog project on the restoration of the river won the United Nations’ Best Practices Award in 2011.
Football dreams
The Villar family, through their Villar Foundation, has also been known for their fervent support for sports development. Programs such as the Villards Cup for billiards, and the Villar Cup for basketball and volleyball, are just a few of their programs aimed at grassroots sports development.
Through such programs, the youth can be encouraged to engage in sports as a productive use of their time, or even be considered as a future career.
As part of its continuing program for sports development, the Villar Foundation recently unveiled the Villar Island Football Field.
Located at the Villar Children’s Farm in Las Piñas, the football field served as the venue for the Perpetual Altas Highschool Alumni (PAHA) Football Club’s first open play, as well their free training sessions for children who are interested in the sport.
In creating the football field and opening it to the public, the Villar Foundation has provided a convenient place for football aspirants and enthusiasts to practice and hone their skills. It is also another way of encouraging residents of Las Piñas, and even of other cities, to get into sports or engage in physical activity.
Who knows, this football field could just be where the next football star of the Philippines will emerge.