Tuesday, July 17, 2007 Councilor pushes for backyard fruit-tree planting
ALMOST empty of trees, the now thickly populated Quirino Hill -- Carabao Mountain to Baguio boys who used to explore the same -- may yet restore part of its greenery through self-help and support from the city.
A plan to provide forest cover with fruit-bearing trees that rise to medium height on vacant spaces of residential lots on the hill and other parts of the city took form last year when the Baguio City Council approved Ordinance 03-06.
Otherwise known as the "Baguio Green Patch Ordinance of 2006", it provided an annual budget of P200,000 for the procurement of fruit-tree seedlings.
Councilor Erdolfo Balajadia, proponent of the ordinance, has renewed the effort with a proposed resolution asking Baguio Representative Mauricio Domogan to allot from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (Pdaf) P1 million to augment the budget for the production and purchase of seedlings.
He noted that approximately 4,000 fruit-tree seedlings were distributed last year but these were not enough as more residents are clamoring for backyard planting materials.
"There is a need to pilot Quirino Hill as an area to be regreened by fruit trees and bring back its former status as a place where vegetation thrived," Balajadia said.
"The regreening of Baguio with fruit bearing trees will not only enhance the air quality but also the livelihood of its constituents," he said. (RD)
