The government can look into the possibility of buying back land that can be converted into green spaces for urban dwellers, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
The DOF noted the key role of local government units in transforming the country’s most congested cities into pedestrian-friendly communities.
Carlos Dominguez, DOF secretary, said weak governance, which resulted in the private appropriation of public spaces including the sidewalks, has left Metro Manila seriously lacking in green spaces as well as pedestrian unfriendly.
“The Metro Manila area is seriously starved for green spaces. Many generations of weak governance resulted in the private appropriation of public spaces, including the sidewalks.
As a result, the whole metropolitan area is notorious for being pedestrian unfriendly,” Dominguez said in the Green EDSA Movement virtual launching ceremony yesterday.
The Green EDSA movement is composed of a volunteer group of civic-minded, non-commercial, non-political advocates for the protection and enhancement of the urban environment.
The finance chief said the Green EDSA Movement can do more if it expands its reach and its civic initiative is replicated in other parts of the country.
“We can, for instance, help buy back land to create green spaces for our urban dwellers. The local governments of our most congested cities have a key role to play here,” he said.
As chairperson-designate of the Climate Change Commission, Dominguez said he will work hard to pursue state policies that are not just sustainable but regenerative as well.
Dominguez cited, for instance, his strong support for new legislation that will ban single-use plastics as a major step to encourage every Filipino to do his or her part on a daily basis in helping save the world’s environment.
“We hope that you can help us push forward this important bill in Congress,” he told those present at the launch of the Green EDSA Movement.
The Philippines submitted on April 15 its first National Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement.
The NDC sets a 75-percent greenhouse gas emission reduction and avoidance by 2030, or higher than the 70-percent conditional GHG targeted cut submitted in 2015.
The NDCs of countries that are signatories to the Paris Agreement collectively aim to keep the Earth’s temperature within 1.5 degrees from pre-industrial levels, which Dominguez described as “the greatest challenge of our time, far more complex than the pandemic.”
“As I have said on many occasions, I am determined to make the Philippines a world leader in mitigating the impact of climate change. Through our NDC, we hope to urge other countries to act with determination and cohesion to save the only planet we have,” he said. – Angela Celis
