Clean and green communities

How do you make our barangays – the country’s basic political unit—self-reliant communities?

For the Department of Interior and Local Government that exercises supervision over barangay affairs throughout the country, it is by empowering them to be self-sufficient in food, stay healthy, heighten their environmental awareness, and keep their surroundings clean.

In fact, as reported by the DILG Barangay Affairs bureau in a recent media forum, there are now 25,000 barangays with flourishing community gardens. Last year, there were only eight such community gardens.

The dramatic increase in the number of community gardens is the offshoot of the “Kalinisan Day” initiative of the Marcos administration.

This program encourages barangays to put up their own community gardens, which will be planted with the 18 vegetables enumerated in the Tagalog song “Bahay Kubo.” Planting such crops is considered economical and promotes a healthier lifestyle.

The barangays have been directed to provide seedlings to their constituents. Funding for the project will come from the budgets of barangays rather than from the national government.

Urban farming of vegetables and fruits, the DILG said, will help address food security issues, such as hunger, and alleviate poverty as well.

By encouraging barangay folk to start by maintaining cleanliness in community, they can then turn their attention to food production and food security, take steps to main health and sanitation, and launch environmental protection and conservation efforts, among others.

The DILG wants to sustain the clean-up drive of the Marcos administration so that “Kalinisan Day” can bring about other changes that can strengthen community solidarity and empower them to take charge of their own future.

The national government has emphasized that community development encompasses not just cleanliness but also includes children’s welfare, crime prevention, climate change adaptation, capacitating institutions to resolve local disputes, community health and nutrition, commerce and trade.

Given this, the DILG wants the clean-up program to lead to other positive outcomes. It has expanded the reach of the program to the 42,000 barangays, 1,700 cities and 82 provinces throughout the country.

In fact, the DILG has commended the local government of Quezon City for putting up 1,200 vegetable growing sites and for encouraging every community to undertake similar initiatives in other parts of the city.

Community empowerment is a laudable objective that our local government units should strive for.

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