The local government of Cainta, Rizal has formally started the esplanade project along the Manggahan River, which aims to curb the influx of informal settlers in the area while providing a new public park for residents.
According to Mayor Keith Nieto, the project was formed after noticing the rapid increase of houses in the dry parts of the river during summer.
"The idea really is to prevent the proliferation of the informal settlers. We put Japanese bamboos so that they cannot move further," Nieto told members of the PaMaMariSan-Rizal Press Corps in an interview.
Through the construction of a dike and esplanade, a clear boundary is established, defining where structures can be built, Nieto added.
The said esplanade has a length of three kilometers along the stretch of East Bank Road, and a similar project is also planned for the West Bank.
Once completed, Cainta will have a seven-kilometers walking zone equipped with jogging paths, bike lanes, a 5-meter easement, and recreational areas.
The mayor emphasized that the project is LGU-funded—financed by the local government itself—and did not use any national funds.
Japanese bamboos were also planted at the edges of the community to serve as a natural fence, preventing any further increase in the number of residents along the riverbanks.
Currently, a lot of residents are benefiting from the area where families are setting up tents, senior citizens engaging in physical activities, and children are enjoying the playgrounds and carabao grass.
There are also plans to install balusters and sufficient lighting along its entire length, from end to end, to ensure the safety of people even at night.
"There's an outpost by the police just to secure the peace and order in the area. Wide enough for people to play around and to jog and to walk and to stay," Nieto said.
"So, all of our recycled benches will all be geared towards being used in that area. I'm going to make a lot of them," the local chief executive added.
While the possibility remains open for food stalls or kiosks in the future, the mayor ensured that these will be strictly regulated, prioritizing local residents for livelihood opportunities to maintain the orderliness and beauty of the esplanade, which was inspired by the promenades in Taiwan.
"If there will be some kiosks in the area, it's going to be controlled. And the first beneficiary, maybe, will be the people living there as an added livelihood," Nieto said.
"I guess the pattern is there. But I did pattern this from Taiwan. In one of my travels to Taiwan, I saw something like this with settlers on the side," the mayor added.