WHEN I worked with Hands On Manila, we used to do tree planting and environment-related activities in Arroceros Park. It is a pocket of green trees and plants within the heart of the City of Manila. In a congested urban jungle, Arroceros Park is a breath of fresh air for city dwellers. It is an oasis in what seems to be a desert of concrete.
Students, corporations and individuals used to volunteer with us on those projects in helping preserve the 2.2-hectare urban forest. Considered as Manila’s remaining “breathing organ,” the park is located near the Metropolitan Theater and a stone’s throw away from Pasig River.
But urban development has always threatened the existence of this park, which is home to endangered and century-old trees, bird species, fireflies and other plants and animals.
Winner Foundation, which takes care of Arroceros Park, is gathering 1,000 signatures of registered Manila voters to file a petition for the City of Manila to declare it as a Tree Park. If the proposal will be approved, the local government will be responsible in “appropriating funds for the conservation, protection, and management of the Arroceros Tree Park.”
The petition has to be printed out and signed by a registered Manila voter. They have to collect all petitions and submit by end of August 2018. A copy of the petition, the local ordinance proposal, and signature sheets may be requested from Winner Foundation president Chiqui Mabanta through her email address chiqui.mabanta@gmail.com.
The park is not only an environmental jewel, but it is also a historical gem of the city. In the early times, the site was a Chinese trading settlement. In the 19th century, a tobacco factory was built at the location. Later on, the area became a military garrison during the American time. It also served as the office of the Department of Education for some time.
With constant news of flooding within the metropolis and even in various parts of the country, areas such as the Arroceros Park has to be protected and maintained at all cost. We need more trees in our cities to reduce the risks of environmental disasters. If we allow urban development to swallow Arroceros Park, the trees there will be cut down, destroying the last ecological stronghold in Manila. But if citizens will act together and make a win for Mother Earth, this can be a good example for other cities in the Philippines to follow.
I look back at the times when we would bring children to Arroceros Park. We would attend activities during Earth Day celebration. Kids would happily run around under the canopy of trees. Similarly, executives and office workers take a breather from their jobs as they move out of their cubicles and office buildings and enjoy nature in the bosom of the city. Not only that, their smiles after a fulfilling day of planting trees are enough to energize the plants and trees in the park.
As much as we need plants and trees to live healthily, these greens also need us to be their warriors against forces that pose a threat to them. We have to bear in mind that any attack on nature is an onslaught to human life. I hope that in my future visits to Manila, I would find the trees in Arroceros Park still standing tall in the middle of towering buildings. Moreover, may these trees continue to live for many more generations after us.
All photos are by this author unless otherwise stated. Claire Marie Algarme blogs at http://firsttimetravels.com. Follow her at @firsttimetravel on Twitter and Instagram and like her Facebook page First-time Travels blog.