Arroceros Park Declared as Permanent Forest Park by Manila City Government
After having faced various threats including being turned into a gymnasium and a residential area, Arroceros Park is here to officially stay.
On March 3, 2020, Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso of the Manila City government, declared park deemed as the “last lung of Manila” as a permanent forest park under the Ordinance No. 8607, as one of his platforms during his 2019 campaign for the mayoral elections in Manila.
The ordinance, which is pursuant to the Republic Act No. 5752, states that the park shall receive continuous government funding for its further development, preservation, and maintenance. The Manila City government, following both the ordinance and the republic act, has allocated one million pesos for the expansion of the park.
At the same time, activities such as tree cutting, dumping of waste products and any form of excavation are strictly prohibited. Penalties are to be imposed on violators who disobey the park’s rules.
- First offense – Php 2,500
- Second offense – Php 3,500
- Third offense – Php 5,000, the violator may be subject to imprisonment not exceeding one year depending on the discretion of the court
Additionally, a designated committee for Arroceros Park will be established to maintain and manage the operations of the park. Peace officers will be stationed at different areas of the park to successfully regulate the imposed rules and issue penalties against any future violators.
Pinirmahan ko na po ang ordinansa para ideklara bilang permanent forest park ang Arroceros forest park. Let’s turn Manila into a green city. 😊 #BagongMaynila
It was last August 30, 2019 when Mayor Domagoso publicly announced his plan of turning Manila into a green city. Upon the statement of the plan, he mentioned that he wanted to execute it by starting with the preservation and expansion of Arroceros Park.
Isko Moreno presenting his “Green City” project to environmentalists
Studies show that Arroceros Park is known to have multifunctional roles: such as being a barrier of protection for Manila by mitigating air pollution, minimizing floods, regulating the city’s temperature and as well as being home to more than 3,000 trees and habitat to more than 26 migratory bird species.
Source: manila.gov.ph
Images grabbed from Manila Public Information Office Facebook page
