THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) campaign to keep 42,000 villages nationwide clean and environment-friendly includes making communities self-reliant by planting fruit-bearing trees and vegetables.

DILG Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Chito Valmocina said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City that Project Kalinisan (Cleanliness) encourages planting and establishing backyard fishponds.

"We at the Barangay Affairs have been instructed by the Secretary to monitor cleaning, planting and maintenance. The key is monitoring and supervising village chiefs," Valmocina said in Filipino.

He said that out of the more than 42,000 barangay officials who won in last year's polls, over 20,000 were newly elected.

Valmocina said 25,000 villages already have their own community gardens.

He said seedlings for 18 kinds of vegetables cost about P25.

"If 300 families, especially in the provinces, are given seedlings, that's only P7,500," he said.

He said just about everybody can start planting in their backyards or even in small spaces where plants can grow.

He recounted that, as a long-time captain of Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City, they maintained backyard farms.

"My constituents have plant pots, pails, tin cans, bamboos and sacks [to grow plants] and they benefit from the vegetables. Schools in Quezon City have plants, too," he said.

He said Quezon City Mayor Josefina "Joy" Belmonte will issue an ordinance to promote farming in Metro Manila's biggest city.

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