National government agencies, local government units and stakeholders have joined forces to help mitigate the impact of climate change by planting 1,600 native tree seedlings in the mountain barangay of Carcar City in southern Cebu.
Over 300 employees and officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Department of Education, Police Regional Office, Philippine Coast Guard and of the city government of Carcar trooped to Calidngan for today’s nationwide simultaneous tree planting activity with the theme “Buhayin ang Pangangalaga ng Kalikasan.”
Each participant planted 10 saplings of Narra, Molave, and Mountain Agoho.
The activity was initiated by DILG in support of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s priorities for the environment and natural resources as mentioned in the 2022 State of the Nation Address and the Department’s greening program.
Also, the reforestation initiative was part of DILG’s advocacy to develop, protect, and enhance unproductive, denuded and degraded forestlands that contribute to environment-related risks, such as soil erosion, landslides, and flooding.
DILG-7 Regional Director Leocadio Trovela said the tree planting activity was a manifestation of a high degree of synergy among the NGAs, LGUs and civil society.
He stressed the significant value of trees in ensuring food security and strengthening agricultural production.
Trovela also urged the LGUs and stakeholders to help ensure that the planted trees will thrive and help ensure the sustenance of the activity.
There will be a series of follow-through activities to ensure the continuation of the program, such as the rollout of tree planting activities from September to December; sustained forest management initiatives where DILG and DENR will revisit the Joint Memorandum Circular 1998-01 regarding the Manual of Procedures for DENR-DILG-LGU Partnership on Devolved and Other Forest Management Functions; Gcash Forest that gives Gcash users the opportunity to plant and grow real trees through GCash app; and continuation of the Annual Arbor Day or Tree Planting Day.
The regional director also thanked DENR for the provision of seedlings and identification of planting sites, as well as other NGAs, non-government organizations, Cebu Provincial Government headed by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and the City Government of Carcar led by Mayor Patricio Barcenas for supporting the cause.
Present were Carcar City Mayor Patricio Barcens, DepEd Regional Director Salustiano Jimenez, BFP Regional Director CSupt Jaime Ramirez, BJMP Regional Director JCSuot Efren Nemeño, Asst. Regional Director for technical services forester Charlie Fabre of DENR, DILG Provincial Director Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero, and Regional Community Affairs and Development Division Chief Atty. Antonietto Cañete.