Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes (6th from left) waits for the start of the bamboo planting activity in the city’s Green Corridor in Barangay Subangdaku to mark International Coastal Cleanup Day and the World Bamboo Day, which will be celebrated on Sept. 18 yet. | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Thirty Maxima bamboos were planted on Friday, Sept. 17, in Mandaue City’s Green Corridor to celebrate the International Coastal Cleanup Day and World Bamboo Day.
Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led the bamboo planting activity at the city’s green corridor in Sitio Mahayag in Barangay Subangdaku.
According to DENR, bamboo is one of the fastest growing renewable resources in the world not only because it is a sustainable alternative to wood, but it is also an effective solution to climate change.
Bamboo absorbs greenhouse gases, insulates carbon dioxide from the environment and produces 35 percent more oxygen than its equivalent tree size.
The bamboo-planting activity, however, was done a day before the actual celebration of International Coastal Cleanup Day and the World Bamboo Day, which is celebrated on Sept. 18.
Regional executive director Paquito Melicor of the DENR-7, who attended the event together with other environment agency officials and personnel, also lauded the Mandaue City government for developing and maintaining the Green Corridor.
He said that the area was once an area full of informal settlers and unsightly garbage, but now it was transformed to these Green Corridor.
Melicor said clearing an area swarming of informal setlers was very challenging and was not an easy thing to do.
“In behalf of DENR, Mayor (Cortes) in behalf of Secretary Cimatu, we would like to thank you for this very very laudable work that you have done,” said Melicor.
He also asked the city for documentation of the tranformation so that they would be able present it to other places and could be an inspiration to these places.
Cortes and Subangdaku Barangay Captain Ernie Manatad assured that cleanliness in the area would be maintained.
The Mayor is also asking the public to pitch in and do their part to maintain the cleanliness in the area.
He said that they would also be coordinating with nearby LGUs especially Cebu City as the upstream of the city’s major rivers like Butuanon and Mahiga were located there.
Cortes said that the city would continue to implement projects that would beautify the city and rehabilitate the city’s rivers.
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