2010 plant-a-million-trees campaign kicks off
MAASIN CITY – A year-long drive to plant one million trees for the entire 2010 in this city and the rest of Southern Leyte province was launched at the city gymnasium here today.
Accepting the challenge to do just that, or even surpassing the one million figure with trees that can survive on their own, were representatives from a cross-section of local society, such as government officials, heads of agencies, police, the military, students, youth leaders, motorcab drivers, and common folks who organized themselves as the Restore Green Movement Allianze.
Ronalyn Epis, President of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation of Maasin City, said this was the City SK?s response to the global call of planting one billion trees for the current year.
But she admitted they cannot do it alone, so they had involved other sectors like public officials and various organizations and private groups, adding that by November or December this year they will have to make an actual inventory, in coordination with other tree-planters, to see how far they have reached in relation to the objective.
The city gym reverberated with a resounding “yes” with matching thumbs-up signs to the suggestion that the goal can be achieved definitely this year.
City Mayor Maloney Samaco hinted that the one million mark may be achieved by Maasin City, or within city limits alone, with many public and private lands still wanting to be planted, including the City?s 320 hectares Danao Forest Park.
He said it is not just enough to plant trees a
nd leave, because the task is not simply tree-planting but tree-parenting, meaning one has to nurture and care for the planted trees until such time the plant can stand on its own and survive.
Congressman Roger Mercado, ever a passionate environmentalist, echoed Samaco?s call, saying that after one week the newly-planted seedlings will be choked by fast-crawling and fast-climbing weeds, and will eventually die if not properly tended.
He assured no problem on seedlings as there are many nurseries to get planting materials, such as the DENR and other nurseries.
Trees, aside from providing shade and other unseen benefits, will absorb the carbon dioxide thrown in the atmosphere by rich countries, so by planting and caring trees one has cared enough for the Earth, Cong. Mercado stressed.
Some 3,000 species of tree seedling like fire trees and mangroves have been slated to be planted in barangay Panan-awan right after the ceremonies in the city gym.
Among the heads of national line agencies who joined the activity were Fe Norma Valuis from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), District Engr. Carlos Veloso of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Ranulfo Arbiol, head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. (PIA-Southern Leyte)
@ Bong Pedalino:
I wish you’d set aside your biased viewpoints. Mr. Roger G. Mercado can never qualify as an “ever passionate environmentalist” as he does not have a duly qualified environmental agenda. Tree-planting? Well, just because he’s promoting reforestation does not necessarily mean he’s an environmentalist either! One has to know more that surround the word “environment” in order to be one if you know what I mean. For the record, he doesn’t even fully comprehend or understand that “infrastructure” is influenced by the environment that surrounds our communities. Otherwise, he would have pushed programs that would have earned him the title. As Southern Leyte’s congressman, he hasn’t really done anything of significance. He’s just a pre-Madonna and a definite waste of taxpayers’ money.
With your regurgitation of Oging’s statement that “…trees absorb the carbon dioxide thrown in the atmosphere by rich countries…” is actually inaccurate and irresponsible journalism. Once you fully comprehend, through proper research, the global sources of carbon dioxide, you’d probably want to retract this article.
We all have our own lifestyles and preferences in life. You are obviously a Roger Mercado fan. Different strokes for different folks! But… working with AMSL, I think you need to “un-bias” yourself.
I think, Mr. Pedalino is just trying to do his job–he just wrote what was mentioned by his subject. He did it as honest as he can, per se.
He can never be a fan of the Mercados. He is writing for the Philippine Information Agency-So. Leyte (PIA), a state-owned media.
Therefore, he is and will be writing for every public figure, or every government dealing . This, however, doesn’t mean he is a lapdog.
He is just doing his job (unless you can recommend him to your workplace or give him a new job ).