COMMUNITY GARDEN. Chief Adviser and Tactician IC Calaguas and Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel start the series of vegetable planting in the city’s rotonda or roundabouts.
ANGELES CITY – The city government today started to establish its first community vegetable garden at the “rotundas” or roundabouts located in MacArthur Hiway in Barangay Pandan here.
Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. led the planting activity together with this Chief Adviser IC Calaguas, Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel, City Engineer Donato Dizon, Gender and Development Officer-in-Charge Mina Cabiles, and Angeles City Economic Development Investment and Promotions Officer-in-Charge Irish Bonus-Llego.
Some 200 organic vegetable seedlings including okra, green chilis and eggplants were planted.
“The activity this morning is the first of the series of planting activities in all rotundas in the city,” Lazatin said.
“The community gardens are open to all residents. They can actually pick the vegetables once they are ready,” Lazatin added.
To add attraction to the community garden, Manuel, Bonus-Llego and the City information Office conceptualized humorous reminders around the garden.
An example of which is: “Huwag pipitasin kung hindi pa ready, mahirap ang hinog sa pilit (Don’t harvest if not ready, it cannot get ripe by force),” and “Huwag mo akong hahawakan, kung hindi mo ko kayang alagaan. (Don’t touch me if you cannot take care of me).”
The project will also serve as encouragement to the people to plant in their backyards.
“Para hindi boring ang buhay, magtanim ng gulay (If life gets boring, plant a vegetable),” another signage stated.
Mayor Lazatin said that next week, more seedlings will be planted at the city’s remaining rotundas.
“Every department head in Angeles City will adopt a portion of the community vegetable garden. Sila magme-maintain nyan,” Lazatin said.
To recall, during the lockdown last year, Lazatin distributed seeds to every household in the city as part of his Luntiang Barangay Lingap Program.
The program encouraged all Angeleño household to plant in their backyard and grow their own food.
