Submitted By:
Gem Abegail Garcia
Kristel Gem Rubio
Daisy Ann Colasi
Eileen Grace Aviso
History of La mesa Ecopark and How to get there.. The La Mesa Ecopark is located within the La Mesa Watershed in East Fairview, Quezon City. It is owned by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and is jointly operated along with the Quezon City government, Bantay Kalikasan and other private companies.
The La Mesa Ecopark is a 33 hectare park located in the La Mesa Watershed. The park was opened to the public in 2004 to generate income to help with the reforestation of the area surrounding the watershed and to create funds for the watershed’s maintenance. The Ecopark sits on 2700 hectares, divided between 700 hectares of the reservoir and 2000 hectares of forest. As the primary source of drinking water of Metro Manila, the La Mesa Watershed is of utmost importance. The forest in the surrounding area is the only remaining forest of its kind in the metropolitan, providing necessary clean air. However, it came into disrepair because of mismanagement, lack of funding, illegal logging, deforestation and illegal settling.
To save the forest, via a joint partnership between MWSS, ABS-CBN and Quezon City, The La Mesa Ecopark in Quezon City is a well-developed sanctuary around the La Mesa Watershed. The ABS-CBN Foundation established Bantay Kalikasan. To reforest 1500 hectares of land, the foundation got corporate sponsorship and public involvement thru the Adopt and Protect a Tree and Hectare Project, wherein funding was raised one tree or hectare at a time. A person can adopt a tree for as little as P250.
Today, less than 200 hectares remain to be reforested. The park in the watershed is one of the oldest parks in Metro Manila as it has been in existence since the Marcos administration. The La Mesa Watershed was renamed La Mesa Ecopark and reopened to the public in 2004 to generate income for the maintenance of the area. Solicitation for