Green Metro Manila

From the “Pearl of the Orient” to the “Gates of Hell”.

Manila, up to the early 1960s, has been dubbed the “Pearl of the Orient”. Lately, a new title has been given to Manila as the “Gates of Hell”. The story of the City of Manila may be a microcosm of the story of the country as a whole. From the envy of our neighbors and touted as second only to Japan, we are now down at the totem pole of economic development.

Can we still recover from such humiliations?

In 2015, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit will be held in Manila. The last time we hosted such an event was in 1996 but we have to hold in Subic. I am happy that P-Noy decided that for 2015, it will be in Manila to show it to all the foreign dignitaries and observers coming for this event. By that time, we should show them a Green Metro Manila, standing proud as the Capital of the Philippines.

Over the years, we have lamented on the fact that Metro Manila (MM) is dirty, full of slums that we simply cover from public view every time big events like this happen. Now is our opportunity to show the world that we can clean and beautify MM again. We should claim back that title “Pearl of the Orient”.

What needs to be done?

The first thing that needs to be done is clean up our rivers and esteros and turn these into “green lanes”. Impossible? It can be done.

I should give credit to ABS-CBN Foundation, under the leadership of Ms Gina Lopez, for showing us the way. The Estero de Paco has been transformed from a dirty, stingy waterway to what it is today. Along the estero, one can see flowering ornamentals and reeds that beautify its stretches. There are also walkways that one can go for leisurely walk, jogging, or paseo.

Aquino should lead the campaign to transform all esteros and rivers in MM into green lanes and waterways. This way the Mayors of MM will follow suit. We should claim back what belongs to the public. By law, three meter easements on both sides are provided for esteros and rivers throughout its entire length in urban areas (DENR A.O. No 21-99).  Such easements are provided for public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, floatage, fishing, and salvage. If this is done, then we create several hundreds of hectares of greeneries in MM. Right now, much of these easements are “claimed” and occupied by squatters, both rich and poor.

Second, need to develop a lot of small greenbelts in the metropolis. Open public spaces like parks, cemeteries and streets should be planted with endemic tree species (the DENR has a bad habit of planting imported tree species for what reason I don’t know) that are more suited to our climate and can withstand strong typhoons and more friendly to birds and other wild life.

I should also commend the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for greening the “islands” and putting up vertical gardens in some underpasses along Edsa. Recently I also saw at the corner of Ayala and Edsa a very nice vertical garden at the area occupied by the Makati Garden Club. I just don’t know who’s behind it. But whoever has done it, it is beautiful!

But this is not for government alone.

Private sector should be enlisted to making Green MM. Schools, universities, hospitals, factories with open spaces should also be planted to trees, bamboos, and ornamentals. Subdivision lots (especially those allocated as open spaces) should be required to green such spaces. One added benefit this can bring to subdivisions is that it can improve water holding capacity of their area because trees and its root system serve like sponges during the rainy season. As a result, water table improves during the dry months.

Open lots and areas in the metropolis should likewise be planted to trees. A penalty can be promulgated by Local Government Units (LGUs) for those landowners who refuse to do so. Revenues collected from such can be used for the greening program. As an incentive, homeowners who “green” their open spaces may also be given a discount for their real estate taxes based on the number of trees they have grown to maturity.

Third, high-rise office buildings and condos, malls, and low-rise buildings with flat concrete roofs should be encouraged to develop roof gardens, terrace gardens or hanging gardens. Aside from beautifying their buildings, they can also reduce electrical consumption because plants and trees cool the buildings and thus save on cost for air conditioning.

Cooling the city and cleaning the air

One of the positive side effects of this program is a cooler Metropolis. It is a known fact that in cities, temperature could be higher by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over the rural area on the same day because of the phenomenon called the “island heat effect”. It is easy to demonstrate this phenomenon. On a hot summer day, just stay under the shade of a tree and you notice the big difference in temperature. Outside the shade is the city temperature and under the shade is your rural temperature. So we can actually lower the temperature in the city by planting more trees and bamboos.

The other positive effect is the carbon capture. Trees are the most efficient way to absorb carbon dioxide sent into the atmosphere from car, bus, and motorcycle fumes; factories; power plants, etc.  Thus, such a greening program will help city dwellers inhale cleaner air and stay healthier.

And there is more to it.

Creating employment for urban poor

Given the magnitude of such a project, it will require a lot of employment opportunities for the urban poor to propagate seedlings, to produce organic fertilizers and compost (from organic waste instead of sending these to landfills) for seedling bags and soil ameliorants when these seedlings are planted on the ground.

This program will also need thousands of jobs for gardeners, landscape maintenance, nursery operators, tree “doctors”, tree pruners, and many more. Thus, training programs can be organized by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) with support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to prepare unemployed or underemployed people to work in this green industry.

Green jobs are needed more and more as people are getting conscious about the degradation of the environment. This should be one of the strategies that the country pursue to create employment and to realize the trickle-down effect of our economic growth.

If we take action on this now, then I think foreign visitors will say again of Manila as the “Pearl of the Orient” come 2015.

(This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author is a member of the MAP Agribusiness and Countryside Development Committee, and the Project Manager of the Farm Business School project of MAP and MFI Foundation. Feedback at [email protected] and [email protected]. For previous articles, please visit www.map.org.ph)