MAGSAYSAY, Davao del Sur (PIA) - A local chief executive in a small town of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur led yesterday’s (Sept. 13) simultaneous planting of trees nationwide in honor of the 65th Birthday of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.

Mayor Ronie Sarande of Magsaysay spearheaded the planting of fruit trees and bamboo seedlings right at the backyard of a purok. The place was formerly occuped before its residents were forced to evacuate to safer grounds from Barangay B’lasan to Barangay Malawanit after the area was no longer habitable due to a series of earthquakes that happened in 2019.

Sarande made a commitment to assign a group of people that guarantee the growth of the seedlings to ensure the integrity of Barangay Malawanit and for the good of the generations to come.

He said members of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture are entrusted to ensure tree growing in partnership with the local government.

Sarande said once a month, the local government will monitor the growth of the trees and by next year, he will file a report pertaining to the growth of the trees.

He also challenged those whose names appear before the trees to water the plant accordingly.

“We will do our best that the seedlings will grow for the future generation,” he said.

Malawanit Barangay chair Dennis Henis also pledged to personally managed the monitoring of the plants’ growth by watering them every day.

He said the greater task after a tree-planting activity is to ensure that the seedlings would grow.

“It entails commitment in the participation to the growth of the trees.  Me alone cannot do it.  We need the community to cooperate in this pursuit,” Henis said.

The nationwide simultaneous tree-planting activity was supported by the Department of the Interior and Local Government through Provincial Director Mika-Chan Magtulis, Philippine National Police headed by Provincial Director Colonel Giuseppe Geralde, the Bureau of Fire Protection-Davao del Sur, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Davao del Sur, the 39th Infantry Battalion, the Cor Jesu College and the Barangay Government of Malawanit.  (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)