IT IS alarming to note that the bustling Metro Manila is losing its green spaces.
It was reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer that based on the data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) only 12,152.79 hectares (ha.) of the 55,922.22 ha. land area of the National Capital Region are green spaces. This small area of green spaces serves the 12.8 million people living in the area.
We can expect that these green spaces would continue to shrink with the government’s Build, Build, Build program. The Inquirer report quoted Jacqueline Caancan, DENR-NCR regional director, saying that there is a need to “double time to compensate for the loss of green spaces”.
Metro Manila is in need of more green spaces like the La Mesa Eco Park and the Las Pinas - Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area. The challenge, however, lies in finding areas in Metro Manila that can be utilized for green spaces.
It was also reported by the same news outfit that out of 16 cities and one municipality in Metro Manila, Manila City suffers one of the biggest deficits with only 140.4 ha. of green spaces out of its total land area of over 3,800 hectares.
Inquirer also reported that recently, concerned citizens were up in arms after the 2-hectare Arroceros Forest Park in Ermita was threatened with the proposed building of a gymnasium. It was a sigh of relief for the advocates when Mayor Isko Moreno said he will not permit development inside the riverside park.
DENR-NCR also said that Caloocan, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig (my home city), Pateros, and San Juan are also badly in need of green spaces.
In a bid to increase the breathing spaces of these cities, DENR has been looking for small areas where they can put up mini-gardens and pocket parks. Since they began in 2011, at least 1,110 ha. of land had been planted with a total of 787 sites across Metro Manila.
There is delicate balance between sustainability and development. For Davao City, it has to learn from this. There is a need to add more green spaces to allow the city to breathe and be more sustainable.