The city of Muntinlupa is adopting a grassroots approach to environmental development, empowering its numerous subdivisions with a search for the best liveable community this side of the metro.
Mayor Ruffy Biazon led the launching April 1 of the “Ang Pamahalaan at Mamamayan Nagtutulungan para sa Nakakaproud na Kalinisan at Kaayusan” or PAMANANG NAKAKAPROUD initiative which aims to challenge residents of local subdivisions to improve or at least maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of their community.
“Through this initiative, we aim for the local communities to engage with their City Government in keeping the beauty and peace of their area,” Biazon said. “No one is more qualified to maintain their local communities than the Muntinlupeños who live and have grown up in their area. The competition aspect is to help these communities be motivated and do their best, for their own benefit,” he added.
Pamanang Nakakaproud will involve select subdivisions in Muntinlupa divided into two groups: Category A, which includes subdivisions less than 3 hectares in land area, and Category B, for subdivisions larger than 3 hectares.
Up to 36 subdivisions are qualified under Category A while Category B will have up to 34 communities vying for over over P200,000 in total prizes.
The competition will run from April to November 2023. The participating communities will be graded on essential criteria such as waste management, street and sidewalk cleanliness, drainage and waterways, pet and stray animal management, urban horticulture, roadway management, safety and security, and partnership with the local government.
The winning subdivision in each category will receive P100,000 as top prize, followed by P75,000 for the second-placer and P50,000 for the top third community.
“More than anything, the reason we are doing this (Pamanang Nakakaproud) is we want to foster good-neighborliness and unity between the HOAs. Through this initiative, we aim to develop camaraderie between the communities,” Biazon added.
Muntinlupa has a significant number of subdivisions owing to its suburban location. Many of these communities were developed during the City’s industrial years, when factories relocated from interior Manila to the outlying suburbs, providing many factory and office workers accessible and much-needed residential spaces for themselves and their families.