MANILA, Philippines - The second staging of the International River Summit, a biennial multi-partner national initiative spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – River Basin Control Office (RBCO), League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), has been srt in Marikina on Nov. 19-21 .
DENR-RBCO is the lead national agency in rationalizing and integrating river basin management initiatives and creating an enabling policy environment for river basin governance.
The International River Summit traces its first initiative in Iloilo City when its local authorities spearheaded the summit on May 30-June 01, 2012. It convened at least 1,500 both foreign and national delegates, the biggest delegation of river stakeholders.
The summit featured paper presentations, forum, exhibits, and learning tours. At the end of the summit, participants manifested their commitment in the Iloilo Declaration, which calls for bigger investment on river systems that have already been exacerbated by climate change and rapid urbanization.
It was a major feat for the Philippines to host the pioneering event which was attended by no less than President Aquino.
During the first summit, the next host city was also officially selected which turned out to be Marikina. The city has a population of more than 500,000 and is one of the many cities comprising the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
It is also known as the Shoe Capital of the Philippines owing to its vibrant shoe industry that makes up 70 percent of the country’s shoe production. Marikina city is sliced by its most beloved Marikina River, an 11-km. long tributary that feeds into the Pasig river, an important waterway that traverses NCR.
The revitalization of Marikina River in the early 90s is a classic and multi-awarded case of best practice program of local governments. More innovation and efforts to sustain the gains are currently being implemented in the city.
Marikina Mayor Del R. De Guzman said people who wish to understand more about rivers and floods will be welcome to participate in at the 2nd International River Summit which will has as its theme “Reviving Rivers, Rebuilding Civilization.” It will be held Nov.19 to 21 at the Marikina Hotel and Convention Center, Marikina City, Philippines.
For registration, contact the Marikina City summit secretariat at (632) 0917-552-4627 and (632) 975-5112 or e-mail irsmarikina@yahoo.com
For inquiries, please email inquiry@irsmarikina.com or you can fill out the form in our page http://www.irsmarikina.com/