As part of an initiative to promote greener public spaces, a city in the Philippines now requires couples applying for a marriage license to plant five trees each. Participants are already celebrating the “green legacy” of the program.
Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan C. Agda, in collaboration with Mr. Mark Lucio Cortado of the City Population Office, headed the initiative in support of the Department of Budget and Management’s “Green, Green, Green” program.
The first two couples to participate in the directive planted their trees at the end of December.
Meanwhile Estephine Joy Ecle and her partner, Jaime Basilga Jr., also enjoyed their participation, with Ecle praising the activity as “a form of bonding before we get married.”
Both couples got married before Mayor Agda on Dec. 23.
The program was lauded by netizens, residents, and well-wishers on social media for its good intentions.
However, Borongan City is not the first Philippine city to adopt the tree-planting initiative for engaged couples. The practice is already present in the cities of Cavite, Baguio, and Tagaytay.
A representative of the Borongan City Information Office told The Epoch Times via social media that, “This [initiative] is in line with Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan C. Agda’s thrust to introduce more EbA (Ecosystem-based Adaptation) projects this year, since Borongan City is located in one of the most climate-vulnerable areas of the Philippines.”
