THE MAYOR of Parañaque, one of the cities in capital region Metro Manila, has called for the development of public parks in each of the 16 barangays and open spaces in private villages as part of disaster management.
Parañaque City Mayor Eric L. Olivarez, in a statement of Monday, said these areas would have an important role during disasters such as earthquakes.
Mr. Olivarez made the call in the aftermath of the magnitude 7 tremor that hit northern Luzon on July 7, which was felt at various intensities in Metro Manila.
“Like other countries in Asia, the Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Our islands are regularly being hit by floods, typhoons, landslides, earthquakes, and droughts,” he said.
For public areas, “It is necessary to provide open spaces that are easily accessible from all barangays as the first evacuation sites during and post disaster,” he said, assuring funding support.
Of the 16 barangays, only six had built public parks in the last three decades, he said.
The mayor also urged communities within private and gated subdivisions, which usually have park areas, to have more than one access point to facilitate evacuations.