BALANGA CITY (PIA) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in partnership with government, private sector, and community stakeholders, is advancing reforestation efforts in Bataan through the five-year Puno ng Buhay–Limay Reforestation Project.
Involved in the effort are the DENR, the provincial government of Bataan, the municipality of Limay, Petron Foundation, Inc., and the Samahang Magsasaka sa Kagubatan Limay Bataan, Inc. (SAMASAKA), which signed a Memorandum of Agreement on December 18 for the initiative.
The program aims to restore 30 hectares of degraded forest within the Limay Watershed Rehabilitation site in Barangay Duale through a community-led approach, planting native and fruit-bearing trees, bamboo, and timber species.
DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla underscored the importance of collaboration in ensuring the project’s success.
“What will make this project succeed is our shared commitment among national and local government, the private sector, and our people’s organizations, working together to deliver concrete results,” he said.
Under the agreement, Petron Foundation, in coordination with the municipality of Limay and its Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, will lead efforts to protect and rehabilitate the area’s upland ecosystems, restore forest cover, and assess its carbon sequestration potential, with technical support from the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Local residents of Barangay Duale and SAMASAKA members will be actively engaged in tree growing, site maintenance, and monitoring activities, providing livelihood opportunities while strengthening community stewardship of forest resources.
The Puno ng Buhay program is Petron’s flagship environmental sustainability initiative supporting the government’s National Greening Program, contributing to watershed protection, climate action, and resilient community development. (CLJD/RPQ, PIA Region 3-Bataan)
