It’s Environment Month

June is environment month and we want to commend Manila Mayor Lito Atienza for having improved the environment of the City of Manila. The most obvious example of this is the promenade along Roxas Boulevard that used to be a haven for loafers and is now a beautiful tourist spot where one can view the fabulous sunset of Manila Bay.

And now comes the news that Manila is not only reviving the Mehan Garden but will also use it as the site of the campuses of the City College of Manila (CCM). The history of Mehan Garden dates back to 1858. It was then known as Jardin Botanico. It became known as the Mehan Garden during the American times when it was also expanded into a zoo. It’s main attraction was an elephant called Goyo. The elephant was a donation of my father, the late Rafael Roces. He bought it from a circus that came to town and for sometime it was kept in our private home that was located in the corner of Oroquieta and Zurbaran. We totally lost our privacy because the whole Manila would come to our house to see the elephant for free. Before that they had to buy entrance tickets to see an elephant. Many people refused to believe that there was a private house that housed an elephant. They would ask, "Meron nga bang elepante?" Skeptics would say, "Siguro goyo lang". So "Goyo" became the elephant’s name. Aside from the zoo in the old botanical garden, Manila also had an aquarium that has survived to this day right outside Intramuros.

The improvements that Atienza did in Intramuros and Roxas Boulevard were the results of a joint program embarked by the City of Manila and the Department of Tourism. The revival of the old Botanical Garden was in consultation with Secretary Heherson "Sonny" Alvarez of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In June 2001, diggings began in the site of the old Jardin Botanico and archeological artifacts were discovered. The National Historical Institute sought the help of the DENR to stop the construction. Secretary Alvarez visited the site and personally saw how old trees that provided natural beauty and shade to pedestrians were being cut to provide the place for the buildings. He immediately revoked the environmental compliance certificate issued by his predecessor and ordered a review that included a public hearing on what became a controversial project, Sec. Alvarez was declared persona non grata by the City of Manila.

Fortunately however, Lito Atienza was a reasonable mayor. When shown that the construction violated P.D. 260 as amended by P.D. 505 that states that it is unlawful for anyone to modify, alter, repair or destroy features of any national shrine or moment without a written permit from the Chairman of the Natural Historical Institute, Mayor Atienza voluntarily revised the design of the CMM campus. So now the five-story buildings will be constructed on stilts and the City of Manila will also restore the historical Botanical Garden.

We congratulate both Sec. Alvarez and Mayor Atienza for agreeing on a creative and constructive solution to what could have been an impasse. It’s a victory for the City of Manila and the environment.