The city government of Makati, through its Department of Environmental Services (DES), has laid out a series of activities for its month-long observance of the World Environment Month this June.
DES chief Danilo Villas said Makati’s Environment Month celebration kicked off with the activation of the Oplan Hakot, Linis, Ayos (Halina) sa Eskuwela, in which major thoroughfares and streets leading to Makati public schools were cleared in time for school opening last June 1.
Villas also said Mayor Jejomar C. Binay will represent the city government in the signing of a memorandum of agreement with the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) next week to enforce strict monitoring of groundwater resources.
Villas said the other activities prepared by DES include tree-planting, free smoke emission testing, poster-making contests for Makati students in all levels, and a musical contest for residents.
On June 24, the Makati Parks and Green Division will spearhead a Tree Planting activity at the Osmeña Highway to improve the urban environment.
On June 25, the city’s Pollution and Control Office (MPCO) will undertake Makati Bantay Tambutso (Makati BanTam), in which free smoke emission tests will be conducted on vehicles voluntarily submitted by their owners testing. The free emission test will be conducted from 9am to 5pm at the six Ayala terminals located at the Dela Rosa 2 car park, Edsa, Valero car park, Gabriela Silang car park, Makati Medical Center open parking, and Amorsolo car park.
The MPCO will also distribute flyers to help raise the awareness of the motorists on how to properly maintain their engines to avoid emitting poisonous smoke.
Meanwhile, DES will also hold an environment poster making contest on June 26 from 9am to 3pm at the Magallanes Interchange Park in Barangay Magallanes.
The contest is open to bonafide students of public and private elementary, secondary and tertiary schools in Makati. The contest has two categories, Category A for the Elementary level, which covers up to Grade VII in private schools, and Category B for the High School and Tertiary levels. All schools are required to register their participants on or before June 15, 2009.
The DES has designated a theme for each category. Category A will have the theme, “Tubig ay ‘di husto, kaya gamitin ng wasto,” which focuses on water resource management. Category B will carry the theme “Nagbabagong klima, bigyang solusyon, ating isalba susunod na henerasyon,” to give emphasis on climate change.
All participants will use an illustration board measuring 15”x 20”, craypass, water color, and color pencil. Orientation of all registered participants will be held at Magallanes Interchange Park one hour before the contest starts. Entries will be judged according to the following criteria: relevance to the theme – 40%, creativity – 30%, and visual impact – 30%. There will be three declared winners per category. Third place winners will get P1,000; second place winners, P2,000; and first place winners will take home P3,000.
All winning contestants, together with their trainors and schools, will be given certificates of recognition, while non-winning contestants and their trainors will be given certificates of participation.
The month-long celebration will culminate with the holding of the Himig ng Kalikasan contest on June 30, 3pm at the City Hall Quadrangle. The contest seeks to increase the audience’s awareness of environmental protection and practices through interpretative song and rap utilizing recyclable materials.
It is open to all Makati City residents including non-professional individuals, out of school youth, high school students, and gangs and fraternity members. Contest entries must be submitted to DES Support Services Division on or before June 15, 2009. The musical instruments that they are going to use must be made out of recyclable materials, and will include body sounds like “armpitik” among others.
The participating groups or teams must be composed of three to six members each. Performing time will be for at least five minutes and up to seven minutes. There will also be a pre-judging of all contest pieces based on relevance to the theme. The top 10 finalists will proceed to the final round and perform their song/rap entry in front of a panel of judges.
The criteria for judging are as follows: interpretation - 40%; utilization of recyclable materials as instruments – 30%; composition and relevance to the theme – 20%; audience impact – 10%. There will be three declared winners for the contest. Third place winner will get P5,000 and a plaque; second place winner will win P8,000 and a plaque; and the first place winner will take home P10,000 and a plaque.
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