Mayor Benjamin Lim is set to fly to Vancouver, Canada on June 19 and stay there until 23 as one of the representatives of the Philippine delegation who will attend the third session of the World Urban Forum III (WUFIII) that will be hosted by the government of Canada.

 The participation of Lim in the said international event will be sponsored by the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) that includes all traveling expenses in airfare and accommodation.

 The WUFIII is a biennial gathering that is attended by a wide range of partners from non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, urban professionals, academics, local authorities and national and international associations of local governments.

 For this year, WUFIII is centered on the theme, ‘Our Future: Sustainable Cities – Turning Ideas into Action.

 Such participation will enable Lim to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies and policies.

 ”This will give Dagupan City an opportunity to share with other countries on how to minimize poverty, improve urban poor’s access to basic facilities such as shelter, clean water and sanitation and achieve environment-friendly, sustainable urban growth and development,” said Lim.

 During his five-day visit, Lim will actively participate in the following activities: Municipal Global Village Opening and Exposition, Asia Partners meeting, public engagement & dialogue, plenary sessions, visit to Canada pavilion, forum on Integrating Global Concerns into Urban Management in Asia, local government sessions, networking session on gender mainstreaming and local governance and urban development policies and programs, meeting with the mayor of Vancouver and Greater Vancouver Regional District and Global Advisory Board Meeting with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Asia Partners.

 The fourth session will be held in Nanjing, China in 2008. (Leziel T. Cayabyab)

With the city government’s effective garbage management, Dagupan City is now gaining prominence as the favorite lakbay-aral destination of some cities and municipalities in the entire country.
On June 7 and 14, officials of barangays Lakewood and Bayog of Zamboanga del Sur will conduct a separate lakbay-aral tour to benchmark the city’s implementation of RA 9003 or Solid Waste Management Act which is part of the Lakbay Aral program of assistant majority leader of the House of Representatives and Zamboanga del Sur 2nd District Congressman Antonio H. Cerilles and Governor Aurora Enerio-Cerilles.
The two Zamboanga del Sur delegations will explore the city’s material recovery facilities (MRFs) which are being implemented in the different barangays for proper waste segregation, recycling, composting and storing of recyclable materials.
The MRF program of your city has gained prominence from the different officials of Mindanao after it was effectively done in the barangay level,” said congressman Cerilles in a letter sent to Mayor Benjamin Lim dated May 26.
“Dagupan City is very willing to share its waste management programs to the officials of Zamboanga del Sur,” said Lim.
As of present, thirteen barangays of the city are already using MRFs as of December 2005 right after the city government started the massive implementation of RA 9003. These barangays include Pantal, Brgy. I, Brgy. II & III, Brgy. IV, Carael, Poblacion Oeste, Pugaro, Bonuan Binloc, Bonuan Boquig, Bonuan Gueset, Tebeng, Mayombo and Herrero-Perez.
Moreover, the MRF of Brgy. IV is famous for its butterfly garden and nursery while Brgy. Mayombo is also known for its communal garden and vegetation. (Leziel T. Cayabyab)