STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan (PIA) — The Association of Regional Executives (AREX) and various government agencies in the Ilocos region joined hands to plant at least 2,000 Acacia mangium seedlings on a two-hectare portion of the association’s 10-hectare planting site at Daang Kalikasan in Mangatarem, Pangasinan.
The activity, part of the Philippine Arbor Day celebration observed annually on June 25, contributes to a nationwide tree-planting initiative of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) aimed at reforestation and mitigating the effects of climate change.
“Arbor,” which means tree in Latin, inspires the annual observance that seeks to celebrate planting and preserving trees.
Lawyer Crizaldy Barcelo, regional executive director of the DENR Ilocos and president of AREX, said in an interview that all government agencies in the region participated in the tree-planting initiative.
He affirmed that for the past few months, Pangasinan has been experiencing dangerously high heat indexes, particularly in Dagupan City.
Hence, Barcelo stressed the urgent need for action to protect the environment and promote a greener and more sustainable future in response to the high temperatures.
“We are planting these trees not only for our future generations but also as a way of mitigating the effects of climate change. Similarly, we aim to reforest Daang Kalikasan. We want to restore the former forest cover in this area,” he said.
“Acacia mangium grows fast and helps forests grow back quickly. We will continue this activity until we have planted all 10 hectares,” he added.
Barcelo said they plan to monitor the planted seedlings, and if any were to die, they would replant them, emphasizing that their mission is not just about tree planting but also about tree growing.
Lawyer Czareanah Isidro, assistant regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 1 and AREX member, shared her pride in contributing to the environment by joining the association’s initiative.
“This is our way of contributing to the environment, and such activities are crucial, especially now that we are experiencing climate change,” she said.
Also, Joward Medina, president of the Supreme Student Council (SSC) at Pangasinan State University-Bayambang campus (PSU-BC), actively participated in the activity and planted more than 10 seedlings.
“Tree-planting is one of the advocacy platforms I champion in school. When we learned about the partnership between AREX and PSU, the SSC PSU-BC gladly partnered with them,” he shared.
For Medina, tree-planting is crucial as he believes that it helps prevent various natural disasters like soil erosion and contributes to reforestation efforts.
“Aside from benefiting from the products of natural resources, it is our way of giving back to our environment,” he added.
Barcelo announced that in September 2024, coinciding with Civil Service Month, they will be organizing another tree-planting event.
He is urging everyone to be part of the solution to the growing climate change problem by helping in any way possible, no matter how small, to protect the environment and future generations. (MJTAB/JCDR/PIA Pangasinan)
