Valenzuela reopens rehabilitated park

LIVABLE COMMUNITY The newly renovated 800-square-meter Polo Park, which also features a water fountain that is lighted at night. —JOAN BONDOC

In a bid to make Valenzuela City a “greener” space for its residents, the local government on Tuesday reopened Polo Park six months after Mayor Rex Gatchalian announced its rehabilitation last year.

Residents and visitors alike may now roam around the park, which also has free Wi-Fi access.

While enjoying the scenery, guests may also take selfies with statues of Jose Rizal and local hero Pio Valenzuela sculpted by renowned artist Julie Lluch.

The newly renovated 800-square-meter park also features a water fountain that is lighted at night, adding to the picturesque environment.

“Polo Park’s new features perfectly [signify] not only a place for relaxation but [also] mark the historical identity of Valenzuela City,” the Valenzuela Public Information Office said in a statement.

The P21-million rehabilitation project was funded by the Department of Budget and Management’s “Green, Green, Green” Program, a project launched in 2018 that aims to make the country’s cities livable and sustainable through building forest parks and botanical gardens.

The park is located in Barangay Polo, which is surrounded by rivers and swamps, making it the city’s trade center.

The reopening of Polo Park is one of the Valenzuela local government’s urban greening projects.

Beginning last year, City Hall employees and residents were given the chance to take home seedlings that they can grow in their homes and schools, such as assorted vegetables and medicinal plants.

In October 2019, the local government also approved a draft ordinance that would allow lot owners to open their lands for public parking, provided that they plant and maintain trees on their converted spaces.