More or less 6,500 trees were planted in a 13-hectare land at Barangay Savoy, Matanao, Davao del Sur during the Provincial launching of the National Greening Program (NGP) last Friday, May 27, 2011. The activity was participated by ninety-seven (97) different government agencies including the 39th Infantry Battalion, religious, academe, private and business sectors from Davao del Sur.
The launching was spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Region XI. It was highlighted by the ceremonial planting of trees within the three (3) designated planting sites located at Barangay Savoy, Matanao, Davao del Sur by no less than Cong. Marc Douglas Cagas IV and the different heads of office. Every participant was given atleast ten (10) rubber seedlings, among others, to be planted. It was followed by a short program were words of commitment from collaborators were heard.
“Dinhi sa Davao del Sur, dako-dako ang target for this year muabot sa 1,944 hectares, ug ang pinakadako ini mao ang atong Mt. Apo nga adunay 1,000 hectares na marked for development this year”, according to Mr. Glenn Adonis M. Rico, PENR officer. “All sectors of society ania karon dinhi kay ang counterpart sa katawhan mao ang pagpananum”, he added.
Inorder to further contribute in the greening effort and in accordance to the Eastern Mindanao Command directive, the 39th Infantry Battalion will establish its camp nursery. This nursery will keep and protect seedlings for the future tree planting activities of the battalion. Furthermore, a camp environmental officer will also be designated to ensure that the implementation of the project will be supervised and monitored. He will also be responsible for the wider dissemination of the greening program within the line companies. This way, the greening efforts will be brought even to far-flung barangays where most of the troops are stationed.
The 39th Infantry Battalion led by LtC Oliver R Artuz urges everybody to support the National Greening Program. He assured the battalions’ commitment to help in the protection and rehabilitation of the environment as he enjoined his elements to become active in the greening program. LtC Artuz is optimistic that through the collaborative efforts of everyone, we can contribute to a healthy and safe environment for the present and the next generations to come.
The National Greening Program, consolidates and harmonizes all greening efforts such as Upland Development Program, Luntiang Pilipinas, and similar initiatives of the government, civil society and the private sector. It is expounded under Executive Order 26 where it became one of the priority thrusts of the present administration to attain sustainable development for poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. This program targets to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares in community-based forest areas, protected areas, ancestral domains and other suitable lands such as schools, military reservations and urban areas for a period of six years starting 2011 until 2016.
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