Hundreds of government employees from local and national government agencies assigned in this province will converge in Mati City on June 22, 2012, Friday, at 6:00 o’clock in the morning to plant more trees to mark the Third Anniversary of the Million Trees Movement (MTM) of Davao Oriental.
In Memorandum Order No. 31 issued by Governor Corazon T. Nuñez-Malanyaon dated June 15, 2012, enjoins all government agencies, that include the Department Heads, Bureaus and Agencies of the National Government, Government Finance Institutions (GFIs), and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to participate in this year’s tree planting activity as part of the week-long celebration of the 45th Araw ng Davao Oriental, July 1, 2012.
The planting site is located along the strip of Barangay Don Martin Marundan Road Section in Mati City from the junction of national highway leading to Tarragona town.
It can be recalled that every 22nd of June each year was declared Tree Planting Day all over the province pursuant to Executive Order No. 06, series of 2009, to memorialize the launching of the Million Trees Movement of Davao Oriental – a special program of Governor Malanyaon which endeavors to effectively control environmental degradation within the territorial jurisdiction of the province through massive re-greening activities.
Central to this program is the continuous conduct of tree planting activities throughout the province, as well as the resolute implementation of other program components that promote deeper awareness among the residents of this province towards the concern for environment, its protection, preservation, and conservation.
The forest covers in most parts of this province, like the rest of the world’s tropical forests, is dwindling at an alarming rate due largely to the indiscriminate cutting of trees, agricultural expansion and land use conversion, the effect of which include among others, the destruction of plants and animal habitats, more severe soil erosion, increased occurrence of droughts and flashfloods and more importantly, the net increase in greenhouse gases that invariably contribute to the global climate change.
The disturbing situation spurred the present provincial administration to decisively address the situation through the implementation of the Million Trees Movement on June 22, 2009.
