The City Government of Puerto Princesa will visit Iloilo and Tagbiliran cities to collaborate and share experiences on urban forestry program and management using specific tools and software, in a bid to strengthen forest management initiatives and responding to the challenges and opportunities of a sustainable and resilient urban development and to combat climate change.
The Technical Working Group consists mostly of the officers and personnel of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office of Puerto Princesa led by Atty. Carlo B. Gomez, head of the office of City ENRO, is set to visit Ilolio City on June 10-11 and Tagbilaran City on June 13-15, 2019, where they will share the technology on i-Tree Tools and Stewardship Mapping.
In his letter to Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron, Engr. Noel Z. Hechanova, City Environment and Natural Resources Officer of Iloilo City, said that the training and the technology sharing will mutually benefit their cities.
He further said that Puerto Princesa City is aggressive in advocating the i-Tree technology, a learning acquired from the United States Forest Service (USFS) international seminar. The Roadshow activity is also supported by the USAID-SURGE Program.
“Your city has been aggressive in advocating this technology to help strengthen forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying forest structure and the environmental benefits that trees provide,” Hechanova said.
Joining the Puerto Princesa Technical Working Group are three personnel from General Santos City, also a CDI-SURGE-assisted city.
“This initiative aimed to achieve an opportunity for us, CDI-SURGE cities to strengthen our programs by being more strategic and focused in pursuit of share objectives in accelerating economic development through environmental protection and conservation. With a well-planned urban growth in our respective cities, through stronger link and partnership, we can certainly achieve in becoming more vibrant and livable cities,” the communication of the City ENRO of Puerto Princesa to the City of General Santos read.
The cities of Puerto Princesa, General Santos, Iloilo and Tagbilaran are among the secondary cities assisted by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) program Cities Development Initiatives (CDI) through Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE), an initiative in accelerating and sustaining inclusive growth in the country’s emerging economies, outside Manila, Cebu and Davao.