By
Ferdinandh Cabrera
August 24,
2013
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| File Photo: ARMM governor Mujiv Hataman and Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadu during a tree planting event in coastal part of Parang, Maguindanao |
Cotabato
City--- Despite the lack to time and logistic preparations, still the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources in ARMM together with its
partners will be joining the challenge into setting a world record, mobilizing
now the participation of Local Government Units (LGU’s).
Dubbed as “TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW”, brokered by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), they aim to beat India as the present world record holder of 1.94 million trees planted (by 340,200 people across 408 locations) in just an hour in 2011.
On September
26th, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) together with its
partner agencies in the government and private sector aims to plant 4,636,000
trees in multiple locations covering a total of 9,200 hectares in just one
hour.
DENR-ARMM which
has a decade-long partnership with Balik-Kalisakasan Advocacy Group (BKAG), a
private and government organization, with the full support of 6th
division are coordinating widely now to local government units in Central
Mindanao.
A meeting on
September 3 is set in Camp Siongco, 6th Division Camp in Datu Odin Sinsuat
as part of grand preparation which seeks to convince Maguindanao LGU’s on the initiative
that supports the National Greening Program aimed to harmonize the management
of Mindanao’s natural resources.
“The meeting
will identify the present land areas and locations the LGU’s and private
sectors would suggest and that we will know also how many will be joining us”,
DENR-ARMM Secretary Kahal Kedtag said.
“We will be trying our very best to catch up
with the Guinness requirement but nevertheless our intention and dedication
that day is to greening the Mother Nature”, 6th Division Deputy Commander,
Brig. Noli Orense also said.
Kedtag added
they had enough seeds prepared in their nursery.That excludes the available 400,000 seedlings
from Minrico compound nursery of BKAG, now ready for planting.
These seedlings are composed of Lanipao and Antipolo plants endemic in Maguindanao is freely given to those groups and private individuals who are willing to plant trees.
The ARMM
leadership has expressed oneness in this campaign as seen in the Facebook
advisory of ARMM executive secretary Atty. Alaisa Alamia, “4 million trees on
September 26 through the "TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW." Join us!”,
she posted.
Maguindanao
province has also expressed to take part on this initiative, Governor Esmael
Mangudadatu said among plants they will plant are rubber trees, palm oils and
bamboos.
“These
plants has multi- purpose, aside from helping greening the environment these
will give livelihood income in the future and will serve flood mitigating trees
in waterways of Liguasan marsh”, he said.#End.
