The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) spearheaded the planting of 10,000 saplings in Barangay San Fernando, El Nido, Palawan last week.
Some 3,000 individuals participated the activity from the DENR regional office, DENR-Taytay and El Nido, El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (ENTMRPA) and Malampaya Sound Protected Landscapes and Seascapes (MSPLS), municipal government of El Nido, Philippine Coast Guard, NAPOCOR, Joint Task Force Malampaya, Batang El Nido, the Barangay Local Government of San Fernando, community-based forest management associations and other civil society organizations.
Assistant Regional Director Vicente Tuddao Jr. of the DENR-MIMAROPA led the planting of assorted fruit and tree species of ipil-ipil, kakawate, cacao, guyabano, coffee, and gmelina.
He said that Palawan island is considered as the world’s best island, and since it is the country’s premier tourism destination, protecting and conserving its natural beauty is of utmost importance.
“Palawan is one of the best islands in the world. It is our role to protect the integrity of Palawan by tree planting.,” ARD Tuddao said.
He said that the tree planting is one of the 10 major programs of the DENR. He even encouraged the support of the community, and even those engaged in the poaching and extraction of timber to become proactive and support them to plant more trees.
“Ang Community-Based Forest Management-San Fernando Agroforestry Producers Cooperative (CBFM-SFAFPC) ang katuwang na people’s organization ng opisina. Ang SFAFPC ay PO na nasa ilalim ng CENRO Taytay. Nasa 1,378 hektarya ng lupang kagubatan (timberland) ang sakop nito na pinamumunuan ni Gng. Adelina U. Sado,” the DENR-Taytay said in a statement.