3,500 hectares more eyed in Region 12 greening program

ENVIRONMENT officials in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) are targeting the inclusion of an additional 3,500 hectares in the National Greening Program (NGP) of the national government for implementation this year.
Alfredo Pascual, Department of Environment and Natural Resources regional director, said a team from the Forest Management Bureau is set to validate the additional target area as part of the full implementation of the NGP.
Last year, the regional office of the DENR initially targeted 9,000 hectares for the NGP’s implementation in the four-province, five-city region.
The program is part of a nationwide reforestation project that aims to plant 1.5 billion trees on 1.5 million hectares from 2011 to 2016 for poverty reduction, food security, livelihood development, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“We are consolidating our efforts in a bid to jumpstart the implementation of the NGP this year [in Region 12],” Pascual said.
Earlier, he said the reforestation project is one of the priority programs guided by President Benigno Aquino’s “social contract with the Filipino people as a platform towards reform.”
Last week, Pascual net with officials of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) to discuss this year’s NGP implementation in the region.
Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
As part of the activities in the project implementation, Pascual ordered the CENROs to conduct survey, mapping and planning in order to identify the exact location of each project.
Late last year, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje directed all regional directors to instruct the CENROs to prepare their annual procurement plan for the required seedlings.
To assist in the implementation of the NGP this year, Pascual said they will be hiring forestry or agriculture graduates as contractual extension officers.
Sixteen government agencies have joined hands for the implementation of the NGP program as volunteer planters, long-term plantation stewards, or donors. [PNA]