QC government eyes development of parks, playgrounds

The Quezon City government is eyeing a program for the development of existing parks and playgrounds in the city before they are turned over to barangays and subdivisions. Others will remain under the management of the local government.

Engineer Zaldy de la Rosa, head of the Quezon City Parks Development and Administration Department, said there are 212 developed and partially developed parks and playgrounds in Quezon City and 553 identified open spaces intended for development into parks and playgrounds.

A developed park or playground already has facilities like a covered court, a multi-purpose hall, concrete fences and lighting. De la Rosa said subdivisions are required to leave an open space which could be a site for a park or playground.

He admitted that the city government cannot manage all the parks and playgrounds in the city, especially those in subdivisions because of lack of funds. Only 50 can be accommodated based on the current budget.

The Parks and Development and Administration Department has an annual budget of P5 million, from which payment for streetlights is also taken.

The 25-hectare Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife and the Quezon Memorial Circle are among the 50 parks that will remain under the city government’s management.

"We have a program being prepared to turn-over to barangays and homeowners the management of parks and playgrounds after they are developed," De la Rosa told The STAR.

De la Rosa said Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has directed his office to work on the rehabilitation of the Balara Filtration Plant under the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), which houses a once popular swimming area. The pool used to be open to the public but was ordered closed by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

The city government is also targeting the planting of some 10,000 shade and flowering trees on center islands, parks, playgrounds and other open spaces.

Belmonte and Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez earlier forged a memorandum of agreement to refurbish major thoroughfares and parks in the city.

The two agreed to plant trees in parks and along roads as part of the comprehensive re-greening program of the national and local government to clear the air, as well as to provide "aesthetic value, pleasing ambiance and to beautify the city."

In the agreement, the DENR, through its National Capital Region regional office, will be assisting in the inspection of planting sites and provide plants and seedlings for the Oplan Sagip Puno project while the Quezon City government is responsible for the preparation of a development plan, protection and maintenance of the areas planted in coordination with concerned barangays.

Among the major thoroughfares included in the beautification project are the Congressional and IBP Roads, East, Visayas, Quezon and Commonwealth Avenues. Trees will be planted in 212 parks, mostly in subdivisions.