Philippines: Lucena City Mayor Supports River Eco-Revival Program

Lucena City Mayor Roderick “Dondon” Alcala pledged his full support Tuesday to intensify the city’s Rivers Resuscitation Program to make Lucena’s major tributaries ecologically sustainable and “alive.”

At the project committee hearing Tuesday, Mayor Alcala assured city folks on the existing funds for the rehabilitation of the city’s major waterways Iyam and Dumaca.

Alcala confirmed the budgetary support to the ecological project even while he was at the city council.

He thanked the involvement, participation and cooperation of the multi-sectoral groups to the city government river project as well as from the local residents near the tributaries.

The committee hearing included representatives from the academe, Lucena Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Soroptomist Society (Lucena chapter), law-enforcement agencies and uniformed personnel from the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM), Philippine National Police (PNP) – Lucena, Quezon, Bureau of Fire Protection, environment cause-oriented groups and the religious sector.

Ofelia Garcia, chief of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) said her office had intensified the campaign to sustain ecologically-healthy river systems.

Garcia said the CPDO conducts regular monitoring and evaluation on the river water samples and has already drafted the city’s blueprint to relocate the informal settlers who are also at-risk during the river surge and floods.

The city development office also assessed that residents along the river have contributed to the pollution of the Iyam River and seepage in the Dumaca River.The committee hearing also yielded to heighten awareness and educational campaign on the proper disposal of waste.

Garcia underscored the city’s tree planting program instead of embarking on the dredging and rip-rapping projects at this time because these are expensive undertakings.

[mappress]

Source: PNA, February 4, 2013