Planting Trees in Bataan, Philippines

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office has recently launched President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino's National Greening Program (NGP) where more than 2,000 people planted 10,000 tree seedlings below the slopes of historic Mt. Samat in Barangay Parang here,

Lawyer Ricardo Lazaro, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said they are targeting to plant trees on 833 hectares in Bataan for 2011 alone.

It will cover four priority components: reforestation, agro-forestry, protected areas and urban parks, Lazaro said.

Personnel of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, government workers, members of people's and non-governmental organizations as well as workers of big firms like Petron Bataan Refinery and the GN Power Plant joined the activity.

Regidor De Leon, assistant secretary for Luzon Operations of the DENR, said the activity in Bataan is part of the centerfold program of the President that targets to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of forest lands in the country from 2011 to 2016.

"We call this as the most ambitious program because if we attain the target, it will surpass the accomplishments of previous administrations for the last 25 years," De Leon said.

He said the Chief Executive planted the first tree seedling in the official launching of the program at DENR's central office some three weeks ago.

De Leon added that DENR Secretary Ramon Paje has sought the involvement of all Filipinos in the project.

He also said the project will address the country's problems on food security, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adoption, including unemployment. To be planted in the six-year program are narra, mahogany, indigenous species to bring back the old classes of trees and also agro-forest trees like fruit trees.