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| The newly inaugurated Navotas Green Zone Park is now open to the public. (Photo Courtesy of Navotas Public Information Office) |
By Janna Marie Pineda
QUEZON CITY (PIA) — Navotas City resident Catalina Dela Rosa, 69, has expressed her community’s joy over the transformation of the 1,742-square-meter area in Barangay North Bay Boulevard North into the new Green Zone Park.
“Napakaganda ng proyektong ito sa ating lungsod. Dati, puro tambak ng basura ang narito. Ngayon, may mapupuntahan kami para magpahinga. Masarap sa pakiramdam na may ganitong lugar para sa mga matatanda at bata,” she said.
(This is such a beautiful project for our city. Before, this was just a pile of garbage. Now, we have somewhere to go and rest. It feels wonderful to have a place like this for the elderly and for children.
The Navotas City Government and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) inaugurated the Navotas Green Zone Park over the weekend, in a bid to create more livable, breathable spaces in the city’s dense urban landscape.
Now in its Phase 4, the urban greening initiative is being implemented as part of the MMDA’s Adopt-a-Park program, which successfully transformed an underused stretch of road into a community park where people can relax, engage in recreation activities, and enjoy the benefits of a green space.
Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco underscored the importance of creating accessible urban spaces to support the physical and mental well-being of residents.
“Gusto natin na maging lugar ito kung saan pwedeng mag-relax, magpahinga, at mag-exercise ang bawat Navoteño kahit gaano pa tayo ka-busy sa araw-araw,” said Tiangco.
(We want this to be a place where every Navoteño can relax, rest, and exercise, no matter how busy their daily lives are.)
Since 2021, the development of the project’s Phases 1, 2, and 3 have been completed, creating a connected green corridor along one of the city’s main roads. Phase 4 is a welcome new link in this growing chain of green community spaces.
“This is part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitment to building greener, more resilient, and sustainable communities,” said MMDA Chairperson Don Artes.
The first three phases were financed through the MMDA’s local income, while Phase 4 utilized funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)-Green Green Green Program and the MMDA’s supplemental allocation for park development and urban greening.
Under the Adopt-a-Park project, local government units propose the location, design, and cost estimate for the park they intend to develop, while the MMDA sets the criteria for site selection, provides the funding, and implements the project construction.
Through this initiative, the MMDA aims to revitalize urban areas, reduce the heat island effect, and provide Metro Manila residents with clean and safe spaces for relaxation, recreation, and community engagement. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
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