ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog ordered dumpsite manager Engr. Neil Ravena to reserve and designate a "Wedding Park" at the old dumpsite area for marrying couples who have no open land space for tree planting.
This followed after Mabilog instructed the marrying couples to first plant a tree before they can get a marriage certificate at the City Hall.
Mabilog said this unique re-greening program will help develop the more than three hectares old dumpsite at Calajunan in Mandurriao district into an ecological park planted with trees and other ornamental plants.
The old dumpsite is currently covered with soil and ready for development into a park.
Ravena said the end portion of the 23-hectare Calajunan dumpsite is now being used as the new dumping site of some 170 metric tons of daily collected city garbage.
The city is also starting to develop a sanitary landfill in the area as recommended by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and GTZ.
An initial 10 hectares is earmarked for a sanitary landfill's one cell while the rest will be reserved as dumping sites.
The old dumpsite was closed late last year and the area was then covered with soil and developed into terraces for an ecological park. (Lydia C. Pendon)