Irisan ecopark rehabilitation continues
The city government is continuing the upgrade of the Irisan Eco-Park with the second phase of the Post-Closure Stabilization of Irisan Dumpsite (Phase II) Ecopark.
Engr. Richard Lardizabal of the City Engineering Office – Planning, Programming and Construction Division said the city government appropriate P25 million for the second phase of the Irisan Ecopark.
The second phase will complete several features of the project such as Arts and Craft Learning Center, Plaza/Stage, Visitors’ Area, Watchtower (view deck), Dap-ay, Labyrinth, Spartan Race, and Bamboo Trail.
He said the project was pre-bided on March 2022 and the Notice to Proceed was issued on August 17, 2022.
However, work was suspended on March 2, 2023, due to unexpected ground settlement, which required design changes based on the actual ground conditions and a thorough survey of the area for design considerations.
The project resumed on January 9, 2024 with 67.60 percent completion rate as of July 2, 2024.
Lardizabal said the city expects the project finished within the timetable provided to meet the revised completion date by October 11, 2024.
The CEO prepared the design of the ecopark which was culturally-inspired having a “dap-ay” – part of the region’s culture where old people meet to discuss and resolve community or tribe issues.
Bougainvilleas were also planted to create a scenic view along with other flowering plants, “eugenia” tree, which has leaves that have different colors, and bamboos as an added feature to prevent soil erosion including vetiver grass for slope protection.
The city government has been working on the transformation of the 5.2-hectare former Irisan dump site into an ecopark since 2019 with P18 million fund spent for the first phase.
The conversion of the former Irisan dumpsite into an eco-park is part of the commitment of the local government to the Court of Appeals (CA) as an offshoot of the Temporary Environment Protection Order (TEPO) that was issued after the filing of an environment case against the city due to the tragic August 2012 trashlide that resulted to the untimely demise of innocent individuals living below the closed dump facility. – JM Samidan
