By: Flor Jackson
NAVAL, Biliran – In line with the National Greening Program (NGP) of the government, the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Biliran province has set another wave of tree planting activity on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 7:00 o’clock in the morning.
The identified site of the activity is in Sitio Barantayan, Brgy. Villaconsuelo in the municipality of Naval, Biliran.
This was revealed by Herminigildo Jocson, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) of Biliran province.
He said some 500 participants from the different schools near the planting site, LGU officials and employees, some 16 national government agencies based in Naval, and students from the Naval State University (NSU) will be joining in this activity which will cover some 10 hectares.
The scheduled tree planting activity in September 6 is the second to be spearheaded by DENR-Biliran this year, the first one being done in June 29, 2011 in Barangay Libtong also in the municipality of Naval.
For his part, Joselito Eco, Forester of DENR-Biliran and also the point person of the NGP in Biliran province informed during the Kapihan sa PIA at Pulong-pulong ng Bayan live over Radyo Natin, the only local radio station in Naval, that for the NGP in the province, DENR-Biliran has targeted some 770 hectares to be planted with 500,000 seedlings of various kinds.
He added that in the entire province, DENR-Biliran has identified 16 planting sites except for the island town of Maripipi.
He said, they have yet to identify separately the planting areas in Maripipi in coordination with the local government unit in said municipality.
The island town of Maripipi can be reached by a one hour travel by boat from Naval, the capital town and 30 minutes travel if one opts to take off from the municipality of Kawayan, which is just across the island town.
“The seedlings prepared for the tree planting are composed of mahogany and narra species,” he said.
“The seedlings are raised in areas near the tree planting site, so that transporting the planting materials will be easy,” he said further.
The NGP which is currently implemented nationwide with DENR as the lead agency, is in compliance with Executive Order No. 26 issued by President Benigno S. Aquino III on February 24, 2011 in order to promote forest resource conservation, protection, productivity and climate change mitigation. (FEJ/PIA 8 Biliran)
