ANGELES CITY - To intensify the urban greening program of this highly-urbanized city, the local government here, through the Barangay Affairs and Public Assistance Center (BAPAC), has launched the “Tanim Gulay sa Bawat Barangay”, on Monday at the City Hall.
The project aims to secure a sustainable urban gardening and vegetation program for the city through backyard gardening which is parallel to the existing “Gulayan sa Barangay” program of the City Agriculture Office (CAO) with the 33 villages of the city at the helm.
This is to increase the potential of the city in generating its own local produce by converting idle lands into parks and gardens which could also be economically-benefiting for the Angeleños in the future.
“The trend in agriculture now, especially for modern cities like Angeles City, is Vertical Agriculture. Singapore, a concrete example of it, has been successful in introducing this trend which is now a part of its environmental, social, and economic assets. We eye to replicate this in the city,” said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan.
“We have commissioned our village chiefs through BAPAC to lead their constituents towards attaining our goal of making Angeles more environment-friendly,” Pamintuan added.
To date, only 7.78% of Angeles City’s total land area is conducive for Agriculture.
The city government sees the potential of the project in addressing the need for urban greening through the participation of barangay-based organizations, academes and individuals, and by adapting modern trends and technologies in gardening.
BAPAC Head Angel Yanga urged concerned citizens and groups to report blighted spaces or vacant lots to their respective village chiefs or directly to BAPAC at 0915-984-5943, for scheduling of gardening operations and pooling of volunteers.
Farming equipment and vegetable seedlings are readily available at the BAPAC and CAO located inside the Angeles City Hall complex.