MALOLOS CITY—The provincial government of Bulacan has lined up grand activities focused mainly on rivers and the management of other waterways in celebration of the Environment Month this year.
However, one major concern that the provincial government missed is laying out plans and programs intended for
coastal areas in the province which local residents described as heavily damaged due to years of neglect.
Elizabeth Apresto, acting head of the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) said this year’s theme for the Environment Month celebration is “Ilog ko, Irog ko” which emphasizes the need to nurture the river system in the province as well as the different waterways.
She said that BENRO has spearheaded the continuous cleaning of canals and creeks in the province, while a massive tree-planting program on river embankments aimed at reducing erosion has been scheduled.
“January pa lang sinimulan na natin ang declogging at paglilinis kasama rin po sa aming programa ang rehabilitasyon at re-greening ng mga mined-out at quarried areas upang mapanumbalik ang dati at maayos na kalagayan nito,” Apresto stressed.
She also said that Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado has issued Executive Order No. 2012-07 declaring the 25th day of
June of every year as Arbor Day or Tree Planting Day in Bulacan. The said order requires all able-bodied citizens in the province to plant a tree every year.
This tree planting program is supported by Environment Secretary Ramon Paje who donated 300,000 assorted seedlings to the province. The provincial government is also distributing 10,000 empty sacks to 21 towns and three cities of the province as part of the planned massive and simultaneous clean up drive on rivers and other waterways.
The said sacks will be used as container for garbage and other wastes that will be collected during the cleanup drive. However, despite the grand plans for the whole month, the provincial government evidently missed preparing programs intended for the coastal areas of the province.
Local residents from the coastal villages earlier lamented that they are “always at the tail end of priorities of local politicians.” They noted that the coastal areas of Bulacan now require massive mangrove planting due to increasing damage on fishponds that used to serve as buffer between the seas and the residential areas in coastal villages.
In Hagonoy town alone, local officials estimated that more than 1,000 hectares of fishponds have been reclaimed by the Manila Bay in the past three years. This left many parcels of fishponds worthless, forcing some operators to increase their investments to convert fishponds into fishpens.
