Philippine Parks Congress

According to the World Bank, the Philippines is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in East Asia and the Pacific. The level of urbanization or the percentage of population residing in urban areas in the Philippines was recorded at 51.2 percent (PSA). With the majority of the country living in urban areas, there is a great need to develop public parks and open spaces for the well-being of FIlipinos and to increase the liveability of these urban areas. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has also brought attention to the greater need to provide more open spaces in cities for city dwellers for their safety, health and mental well-being. 

The Philippines, however, lags behind these developed countries. First and foremost, the concept of a park is not clearly defined and the allocation of public spaces in urban areas for such purpose, unmandated on a national level. In response to this urgent need, and as a component of the government’s “Build Build Build” drive, a “Green Green Green” Program was launched by the Department of Budget and Management in 2018. The program is a unique assistance program that aims to make cities more livable and sustainable through the development of public open spaces.

In support of this, there is pending bill in the House of Representatives HB 618 or the “National Parks Act” filed by Rep. Christopher de Venecia to create a National and Local Public Parks Authority (NALPA) filed Jul 1, 2022 and also echoing it is HB 3495 calling for the same filed by Rep. Geraldine Roman. 

The Philippine Parks Congress aims to:

• To gather public and private sector groups involved in developing urban parks and open spaces in the Philippines

• To lay the foundation of creating a national framework for the development of Philippine urban parks

• Defining the what is an urban park or public park in a Philippine context

• To share the best practices in maintaining and operating public parks and open spaces

• Create opportunities for agencies and companies to learn more about the services and programs of the government in technical assistance for urban parks development

• Preparing and planning for future educational programs for students and researchers

• Benchmarking from existing urban parks and open spaces