MANILA -- In its bid to promote healthy lifestyle, green landscapes, tourism and culture, the Quezon City local government has unveiled an exhibit of different kinds of plants and edible gardens along with art displays, cooking demonstrations, lectures and series of workshops for this year's "Hortikultura".
Quezon City Acting Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday introduced this year’s "Hortikultura", in partnership with the Philippine Horticulture Society Inc. (PHCI), which features the art of gardening and cultivation while promoting the city’s tourism, and healthy eating through the concept of “farm-to-table dishes in an urban setting.”
“This is different because it is about horticulture and arts combined. This year’s theme is about being healthy and here, you can see different types of terraria, bonsai, edible plants, and also vegetables which can be bought for a low price because we are promoting farm-to-table concept here in our city,” Belmonte said during the exhibit’s opening ceremony.
She said she was grateful for the city’s partnership with the PHCI because the event was able to materialize her vision of promoting Quezon City’s tourism through green landscapes and urban gardening.
“I want to encourage many people, especially those living outside our city, to visit here and discover the beauty of Quezon City through the showcase of beautiful green landscapes within an urban area. This is something unique in our city which all of us can be proud of,” Belmonte said.
“I would want to stress the issue of eating healthy because our slogan says Quezon City is Great, Green, and Growing. ‘Yung Green doon, hindi lang green landscapes kung hindi green lifestyle. Kaya nakipag-partnership na rin kami (That Green there, not only refers to green landscapes, but rather, green lifestyle. Hence we are also partnering) with the Horticulture Society to plant urban gardens and to teach urban farming all over our city,” she added.
Belmonte began the urban farming program, dubbed as “Joy of Urban Faming” in the city in 2010. (PNA)
