MANILA -- From eight gardens implemented in 2023, there are now 25,000 barangays with community gardens in the country under the “Kalinisan Day” campaign of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

This was bared over the weekend by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Chito Valmocina who said that this was part of the accomplishments of the “Kalinisan Day” campaign which was launched on January 6 through Memorandum Circular 41.

Through this program, the barangays are enjoined to have community gardens, which will be planted with eighteen vegetables as inspired by the song “Bahay Kubo” while the barangays are expected to giveaway seedlings to their constituents.

Funding for the project will come from the respective barangay’s budget instead from the national government.

Valmocina said that urban farming of fruits and vegetables will help address food security issues, aid poverty, and alleviate the impact of global warming

“Kasi po ang kadugtong nitong paglilinis ay iyong pagtatanim ng mga gulay. [A]t iyong pagtatanim ay napakalawak po ang maso-solve na problema niyan – iyong kalinisan, kagutuman, kahirapan, kalusugan, kalikasan, climate change at saka global warming,” Valmocina said.

He said the DILG sees the need to sustain the clean-up drive campaign of the Marcos administration to ensure the non-stop implementation of the “Kalinisan Day”. “Dapat continuous iyong paglilinis na ginagawa ng mga barangay. Alam natin na iyong ginawang memorandum circular ng ating Pangulo ay para talagang tutukan at saka talagang i-maintain,” Valmocina said.

Valmocina said the DILG led 42,000 barangays; 1,700 cities; and 82 provinces in carrying out the community cleanup drive that included community gardens and fisheries.

He also lauded the local government of Quezon City for having 1,200 sites of vegetables, encouraging every community to emulate the initiatives as he emphasized that planting such crops is economical and promotes a healthier lifestyle.

“Ang kinakain po talaga ngayon ng mga mahihirap puro noodles, noodles at saka sardinas kasi iyong ang mura,” Valmocina said.

“Lahat po ng sektor ay talagang ini-encourage dito kasi ang unang makikinabang dito ay senior citizen, mga kabataan. Kasi ang daming malnourished sa atin, bihira na iyong kumakain ng gulay. So ito po ay talagang malawak at mahabang pagpapaliwanag kung paano natin ma-encourage iyong lahat ng sektor para talagang ipakita natin bakit sa ibang bansa nagawa nila lahat iyong pagtatanim ng mga fruit-bearing na iyan; iyong gulayan, talagang in-improve nila,” he added.

Valmocina assured the DILG is aggressively working towards a cleaner and healthier community for all as directed by President Marcos.

“Ito pong aming ginagawa ngayon ay talagang pinapakita namin sa Malacañang, sa ating Presidente na talaga seryoso ngayon at lahat ng agency ay talagang minu-monitor po,” he said.

President Marcos has said community development encompasses not just cleanliness as it also includes “children’s welfare, crime prevention, climate change adaptation, capacitating institutions to resolve local disputes, community health and nutrition, commerce and trade.” (PND)