Antique completes national greening program target

By Pilar S. Mabaquiao

Friday 29th of June 2012

SAN JOSE, Antique June 29 (PIA) -- The province of Antique has completed its target under the National Greening Program (NGP).

In a meeting of NGP stakeholders in the province spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, PENR Officer Ildefonso Tuliva reported the 100 percent accomplishment of the Province of Antique having planted a total of 432,000 trees in 864 hectares of forest land.

However, he said due to some limitations it only registered a 67 percent survival rate as of March monitoring report. He assured that replanting and proper care of trees are being undertaken by barangay officials, people’s organizations, partner-non-government organizations, DENR assisted upland farmers and Bantay Gubat in order to achieve 100 percent survival in the coming months.

“We have learned our lessons from last year’s implementation of NGP. This year we have devised mechanism to ensure high survival rate,” said Tuliva.

He added that in 2011 they imported the seedlings from Batangas. The hauling process from the road to the planting sites in far flung forest areas caused too much stress to seedlings.

This year DENR disclosed that seedlings will be generated from the nurseries of people’s organizations near the planting sites.

Vice Governor Rosie Dimamay during the program assured the support of the provincial government and municipalities and barangays in the province to NGP.

“Greening Antique and Philippines in general will not only alleviate poverty, especially in upland areas but importantly sustain the next generation of Filipinos and mitigate the catastrophic impact of climate change,” Dimamay stated.

In addition, PENRO Tuliva enjoined all government agencies to participate in the implementation of NGP as mandated in Executive Order No.26 issued by President Benigno S. Aquino III on February 24, 2011.

Section 3.1.1 of the order stated that all students, identified by the DepEd and CHED and all government employees shall be individually required to plant a minimum of 10 seedlings per year in areas determined by the convergence initiative.

In line with this, Tuliva encouraged agencies to coordinate with Community Environment and Natural Resources in San Jose and Culasi for the schedule of tree planting activity. (JCM/PSM-PIA6 Antique)