THE Cagayan de Oro City Government will allocate P100 million to develop an ecopark at the old dumpsite of the city at Upper Dagong, barangay Carmen.

The city council's committee of the whole has initially approved the proposal last week. The project has now a total budget worth P135 million with the Department of Budget and Management's allocation earlier this year.

A botanical garden, butterfly garden, children's playground, senior citizen's lane, nursery, bike lane, tennis court and basketball court, will soon be established at the old dumpsite.

In October, students from the Liceo de Cagayan University won the design competition for the ecopark.

The winning design promised to feature and honor the tribes in the city.

It will also showcase a cultural village in a botanical garden setting and will serve as a learning center for ecotourism, ethnic arts, and flora and fauna that are endemic to Northern Mindanao.

A livelihood center will also be built for the former garbage scavengers of the dumpsite.

Engineer Armen Cuenca, head of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro), said the work to turn the old dumpsite into an ecopark will start next year.