Brgy. Tumana in Marikina CityResidents of Brgy. Tumana in Marikina City can now walk with ease with the 700-meter linear park along TumanaMalanday Creek, also known as Palay Creek.

ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc. (ALKFI)-Bantay Kalikasan, in partnership with Sun Life Foundation, Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) and Arco Group, turned over the linear park to the city government of Marikina.

The project, which was started March 2018, was funded by Sun Life Foundation with Arco Group designing the linear park for free.

According to Riza Mantaring, Sun Life Foundation chairperson, one of Sun Life’s thrusts is the protection of the environment and they saw the benefit of rehabilitating the linear park.

“This is a good project because aside from helping clean the Pasig River, it also transforms the lives of the residents,” Mantaring noted.

PRRC will also help in cleaning Palay Creek.

Brgy. Tumana resident Rosana Nuñez and her fellow homeowners go around every night to make sure no one throws trash into the creek and along the park.

“The park also has solar lamps and it is easier to walk at night when we make our rounds. It’s no longer dangerous and muddy,” she said in Filipino.

Program director Jen Santos said Bantay Kalikasan will continue to assist the residents by conducting information, education and communication campaigns on solid waste management, training on people development (River Warriors/ Earth Warriors) and providing livelihood through mabuhay or bokashi balls.

“Aside from transforming the place, we also want to transform lives of the residents. We want them to own this project and be empowered enough to feel that this project is theirs,” Santos stressed. (Story/Photos by: A. Cahayag)