MANILA City Mayor Isko Moreno led, on Wednesday, the opening of the Senior Citizens' Park and Pet Park in Pandacan.
The 1-hectare public green space aims to provide recreational grounds for senior citizens, pet owners and local residents, the mayor said.
Moreno told reporters that the project was funded through joint contributions from the Department of Budget and Management, Office of the President, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and city government.
Designed to be eco-friendly, the park uses recycled rainwater from the Skyway drainage lines to water its plants.
Its access infrastructure includes pedestrian traffic signals, direct footbridge connections, and a visitors' parking lot.
Moreno said the new park is part of Manila's plan to turn empty lots into green spaces and plant 100,000 bamboo trees.
The goal, he added, is to reclaim vacant public plots, ranging from 20 to 1,000 square meters, for conversion into open green spaces.
Moreno said aggressive urban greening is necessary to offset heavy vehicular carbon emissions and improve overall air quality for residents.
He attributed recent flood management progress to Executive Order 3, mandating all 896 villages in Manila to conduct drainage declogging every Saturday.
