GEN. TINIO, Nueva Ecija – Bianca Soriano, a 3rd year high school student from the Cabanatuan City-based Nueva Ecija High School, trooped to this outskirt town and climbed the mountain to plant at least five seedlings.
Planting of tree seedlings is part of the government’s National Greening Program (NGP) launched recently.
Along with her classmates, Soriano joined thousands of Novo Ecijanos from both government and non-government institutions who went to Minalungao National Park at the borders of this municipality and Gapan City which forest covers Penaranda River, a vital system that drains water to Pampanga River for the NGP.
“This is the essence of the program,” said Assistant Sec. Regidor De Leon of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). “NGP is beyond tree planting.”
He said the project was created based on Executive Order No. 26 issued by President Aquino which aims to plant at least 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of lands in the Philippines.
In Central Luzon, more than 2.7 million trees are expected to be planted “and sustained” within the 6-year duration of the program.
But while officials were talking about numbers and targets, Soriano and his group plainly believed that the trees they planted will someday and somehow hold water that will cushion the impact of heavy rainfalls to low lying areas.
“Yun pong mga mahihirap ang naaapektuhan kapag bumabaha kaya umaasa kami na makakabawas sa pagragasa ng tubig ang mga tanim namin,” Soriano said.
Minalungao National Park boasts of crystal clear water, 16-meter high limestone walls on either sides of narrow but deep Penaranda River.
Joselito Blanco, community environment and natural resources officer (Cenro) for Southern Nueva Ecija, said that activity started with a Mass officiated by Rev. Orlan Valino.
Among the officials who led the launch were De Leon, DENR Central Luzon Director Ricardo Calderon, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Rafael Otic, Gapan City Mayor Christian Tinio, Penaranda Mayor Ferdinand Abesamis who represented Gov. Aurelio Umali.
Vice Mayor Ferdinand Bote of Gen. Tinio welcomed them as well as participants that included teachers and school officials, soldiers, scouts, Church organizations such as Knights of Columbus, Kapisanan ng Mga Broadcaster ng Pilipinas (KBP-Nueva Ecija), Nueva Ecija Press Club, Inc. (NEPCI) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), among others.
Student organizations from the Gen. Tinio National High School and the Nueva Ecija High School (NEHS) in Cabanatuan City also joined the activity which they described “as an act for the people,” and “as thanksgiving to our Lord.”
Blanco said the tree-planting activity is part of the national government’s efforts to plant some 1.5 billion trees to 1.5 million hectares of lands which include forest and protected areas like Minalungao.
Meanwhile, De Leon said NGP also aimed at creating livelihood for the people, protecting environment and biodiversity and climate change adaptation.
“This is not a program of the DENR but of the people with everyone participating in all levels,” he said.
Abesamis said the Aquino program is complimented by the greening and livelihood project being pioneered by Umali particularly large scale bamboo production.
“We have a lot of economic activities tied with bamboo,” Abesamis said, noting that even the Department of Education (DepEd) promotes the use of bamboo for school desks.
