Anarchy on the sidewalk flourished through years of neglect
and indifference. There was a call for change with the coming
of a new local chief executive. The battle cry was the need
for discipline. “A man may be king in his domain,
but once he sets foot on the sidewalk he must bear in mind
that he is bound by the rules of society and must live by
them.” Appropriate ordinances, which prohibited the
use of sidewalks for other purposes, were passed. Initially,
the city disseminated to all households a pamphlet on “Disiplina
sa Bangketa” (Discipline in the Sidewalk) outlining
the rules and regulations to guide people’s behavior
on the sidewalk. The city paved twelve kilometers of its
sidewalks with a red-colored demarcation line to impress
upon the public the value of conforming to the rules and
mores of society to achieve physical and social order.
The city government succeeded in liberating 85 percent
of its sidewalk from any form of encroachment or obstructions.
Trees were planted along the sidewalk and in other parts
of the city to support its program called “Puno Kahit
Saan (Trees Everywhere) to convert the whole town into a
nursery of trees. Everyone was encouraged to plant trees
anywhere with a guarantee from the city government to remove
and transfer the trees anytime for free. The city acquired
a tree-mover for this. Around 85,000 trees were planted.
The tree planting is consistently being pursued to attain
its goal of having 1,000 to 1,500 trees planted per capita.
Added to these accomplishments was the implementation of
another program called “Towards a Hazzle Free Roadways”
which strictly enforced the traffic and parking ordinances
through self-policing policy. To support the program, a
five-hectare parking area was built; street and traffic
signs were upgraded; and new access roads were opened to
decongest main thoroughfares, among others. As a result,
Marikina now has some of the safest and most convenient
sidewalks and roads in Metro Manila today.
