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The amount is nothing to scoff at.
“Beth Espino, executive director of National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), revealed that the damage done by 6 million pilgrims who trooped to Rizal Park for the mass led by Pope Francis last January 18 reached PHP6.8 million,” reports Aie Balagtas See in The Philippine Star.
The NPDC is under the Department of Tourism (DOT).
According to Espino, the bulk of the money (PHP6.78 million) will go to landscaping as the damages to plants and shrubs while the rest will go to plumbing work (PHP15,255) and electrical work (PHP17,600).
Espino said, “We are asking the DOT and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to extend financial assistance to us.”
The report noted: “Espino described the rehabilitation is geared toward ‘restoration,’ which means they would not replant seeds to grow plants. Instead, they would buy grown plants to replace those damaged by the pilgrims. NPDC added that hopefully the budget would be given to them before summer so replanting would not be so difficult.”
Photo: Mark Merueñas, GMA News Online (Twitter)
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