FOLLOWING the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 28, 2025, the Department of Health (DOH) urged local government units (LGUs) to promote active lifestyle among their constituents.
In a social media post on Tuesday, July 29, the DOH urged LGUs to make use of the former's Healthy Public Open Spaces Playbook in their respective areas.
"This playbook is complete with guidelines that LGUs can use to encourage the public to be active, exercise, and play sports in open spaces," said the DOH.
To note, the DOH Playbook aims to provide healthy public open spaces that are open and accessible to all; are children-, elderly-, persons with disabilities (PWDs)-, and pet-friendly; are safe spaces for all genders; are smoke-, vape-, alcohol-, and drug-free; are eco-friendly, sustainable, and non-polluting; are climate and disaster-resilient; are promotive of local culture, arts, and heritage; and should be well-staffed, managed, and maintained.
During his fourth Sona on Monday, Marcos said his administration will promote having games, sports competitions, fun runs, fun walks, aerobics, and zumba.
Marcos also called on all LGUs to open and make their parks and plazas open in order to allow their people to do physical activities.
The DOH said it agrees with the goal of the Marcos administration to promote active lifestyle among Filipinos.
"The department will support President Bongbong Marcos’ mandate to open public spaces, such as parks and plazas, and make them more accessible," it said. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
