IN a continuous effort to help reduce pollution in the metropolis due to smoke belching vehicles and aimed to promote healthy and green living of families through expanding physical activities , a Barangay in Pasig City has relaunched Car- Free Sunday at a street located at the heart of Pasig City’s Central Business District.

Barangay San Antonio ( BSA) reimposed the Car- Free Sunday as the quarantine alert level of the National Capital Region (NCR) was downgraded to Alert Level 2. This means that the Emerald Avenue will be off-limits to motorizes vehicles from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

With this, the 500-meter stretch of Emerald Avenue—a typical busy street— was transformed into a recreational space where people are free to jog, bike, and do Zumba.

BSA Chairman Raymond Lising said the clamor of the people wanting to do physical activities outdoors pushed them to relaunch the program following the easing of restrictions in Metro Manila.

Lising said that the Car- Free Sunday seeks to diminish the carbon footprint particularly along Emerald Avenue, which is their small contribution to save the environment.

Carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent.

Moreover, the BSA chairman said the closure of the road also aims to promote healthy living to residents by giving them space to exercise and other physical activities for their wellness amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is also promoting a healthy lifestyle by having a decent place to do your outdoor activities and provide an open space for the public because parks and in Pasig are limited,” he said.

Lising said their barangay has also deployed health and safety officers to man the area and ensure that all minimum health protocols are being strictly followed.

“We have deployed safety officers along Emerald Avenue. They are ensuring that all health protocols such as social distancing and wearing face masks are being followed,” he emphasized.

“The number of people in the area is also being strictly monitored by our barangay. I also personally visit the area to ensure the safety of residents,” the chairman added.

Lising said Barangay San Antonio is the first to implement such activity in Pasig City, and it has since been replicated by other cities to provide their constituents with an open space where they could relax and unwind during weekends.

The village chief said that people can jog and bike around Emerald Avenue. As such, he said that they can also join in the free one-hour Zumba session of BSA from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

There is also a weekend market with stalls that offer snacks and other refreshments, the chairman said.

“We are now in the pipeline of expanding the weekend market especially this coming Christmas. We want to have a more organized weekend market,” Lising said, adding that more stalls will be added soon.

Everyone is free to use the space during the Car-Free Day, but Lising reminded the public to continue observing minimum public health standards such as wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.