SOME 400 government officials and employees, led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), braved the rains and went through a 2-kilometer trek at the hills of the Ipo watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan, to plant 2,000 seedlings as part of National Greening Program (NGP).
Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said the tree planting at IPO on Saturday signals the start of the massive reforestation program of the government in compliance with Executive Order (EO) 26 declaring the implementation of the ambitious program, which aims to reforest 1.5 million hectares of open, denuded forest with 1.5 billion indigenous and fruit-bearing trees in six years.
“Today is the right time to plant. The high precipitation we are currently experiencing in almost all parts of the country presents a very good opportunity for everybody to go out and plant trees,” Paje said. He also stressed that the probability of the seedlings to survive and grow to maturity under such condition is also very high.
Last week some 20,000 seedlings of various species were planted by more than 1,500 volunteers, led by Quezon 2nd District Rep. Irvin Alcala, at the foot of Mt. Banahaw in barangay Bogon in Sariaya, Quezon.
According to Paje, the Ipo tree-planting activity also served as an avenue for the employees from the convergence agencies, the DENR, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to comply with EO 26 which, aside from declaring NGP as a priority government program, also requires all officials and employees of the government, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, to plant at least 10 seedlings per year.
Those who took part in the event at Ipo are DENR undersecretaries Demetrio Ignacio, Ernesto Adobo, Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, DAR Undersecretary Rosalina Bistoyong, DENR Assistant Secretaries Marlo Mendoza and Daniel Nicer, DENR Directors Ricardo Calderon, Juan Rana, Edna Juan, William Ragos, Atty. Wilfredo Saraos, Atty. Emilio David, Sofio Quintana, Romeo Verzosa, DA Director Andrew Villacorta and Penro Ely Alberto.
Also present in the tree planting was Norzagaray Councilor Bonzo Santos.
Other agencies present were Maynilad Water Services, Manila Water, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Philippine Army and scores of employees from the cited government agencies and private institutions.
Aside from government officials and employees, the NGP is enjoining the support and participation of the private sector and other stakeholders to undertake parallel “greening” activities.
There are 8 million hectares of open, denuded and degraded lands throughout the country which are in need of immediate rehabilitation, according to Paje.
Around 2,000 seedlings, composed mostly of narra (Pterocarpus indicus) and kupang (Parkia timoriana), were planted in barangay San Mateo in Norzagaray, Bulacan, during the tree-planting activity, which was also participated in by some 75 employees from the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad.
Paje, a licensed forester, said narra, the national tree, is indigenous to the Philippines, although it is also known to thrive well in some parts of Southeast Asia. It is a large tree that can grow to as high as 100 feet. Its lush crown of leaves makes it ideal as a shade tree in open spaces. It is highly prized for its durable, rose-scented wood, with colors ranging from yellow to red. It is usually used in the manufacture of high-quality furniture like beds, cabinets, chairs and tables.
Kupang is also an ideal reforestation species, according to Paje. Aside from its being fast-growing, it is known as an “all weather species” as it is both sun-loving and shade-tolerant.
As a leguminous tree, kupang has the ability to fix nitrogen requirements with the help of soil bacteria known as “rhizobium.”
