The first rainforest park in the city realized
The efforts to save the environment and to counter the effects of climate change is gaining ground with the realization of the first rainforest park in Iloilo City.
The park will rise on the 1,800-square-meter lot at the back area of the I. Arroyo Elementary School in Fundidor, Molo. The area used to be a swamp where mosquitoes breed when rainwater collects here, thereby increasing the chances of diseases being transmitted from one person to another. In order to solve this problem, put the land in good use and to preserve the environment, the Zonta Club of Iloilo City 2, embarked on the mini rainforest park.
The land is owned by the City Government, while the initial seedlings planted there were given by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO). The land fill was taken from the Iloilo Flood Control Project's excavated soil and transported by JS Layson Construction. The park's planning and landscape design was provided by Architect Sergio Penalosa.
“As we lay down the first seedlings for this forest park, we hope that we are also planting the seeds of environmental awareness and activism in the consciousness of all who are here today and especially the members of this community who will directly benefit from the presence of this mini forest in their midst,” said Mari Rose Cacho, chairperson of the Rainforest Project of Zonta 2 during the groundbreaking yesterday.
“Our vision is to grow several pockets of forests similar to this in our city and perhaps the whole province of Iloilo. It is a vision that we can achieve with the help of the government, private organizations and individuals, the community and all stakeholders in this case. Meaning, all of us, because in the end, we have only one earth to live in and we don't own it. We are simply borrowing it from our children,” she added.
Mayor Jerry Treñas pledged his continued support for the said project. He cited that typhoon Frank, which happened last June 21, 2008, was a product of climate change. He is quite happy that Zonta embarked on the creation of mini pockets of forests in the city, as an answer to this environmental problem. He hopes that the student in I. Arroyo Elementary School will see what is being done for the environment.
Trenas also took the opportunity to thank the club for its support on the Iloilo City Women's Desk even before his term as mayor has started. He gladly informed that Zonta ladies present that the vehicle they requested for the Women's Desk had been approved.
Sol Sucaldito, PENRO officer, told The News Today that what the Zonta 2 is doing is remarkable. “They are doing this not only for today but for the next generation. It's one of the aspects of sustainable development,” she said.
The mini rainforest park is not the only sight at the I. Arroyo Elementary School, which has a student population of 933. The school has a Science Park, Math Park, Herbal Park, a vegetable garden and an area for vermi composting.