FSUU to spearhead the 2013 Save Taguibo
Watershed Green Summit
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 27 (PIA) - The Father
Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) headed by University President Fr. John
Christian U. Young, will be spearheading this year's 2nd Save Taguibo Watershed
Green Summit on October 16, at the AVR-1 of FSUU main campus, this city.
Fr. Young said the Save Taguibo Watershed Green
Summit in 2011 was a milestones event on environmentalism in Butuan City.
"The experience taught the people that
positive things and actions happen when different stakeholders come together
and commit time to resolve a common and central environmental concern, that is,
the protection of the Taguibo Watershed," said Young.
Young added that the summit gave birth to the
Taguibo Watershed Pilot Project (TWPP) which made it possible for the
government, civil society organizations, and community to unite their efforts
toward the central goal of protecting Butuan City's vital source of water – the
Taguibo Watershed.
It was also learned that the objectives for this
year's second summit includes the following: 1) update the different
stakeholders on the accomplishments of the TWPP; 2) provide and assessment
report on the implementation of the TWPP; 3) determine the resources needed and
how to raise them in order to fully accomplish the TWPP; and 4) affirm and
strengthen the commitment and support of the stakeholders in accomplishing the
TWPP.
Participants of said summit are the following:
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Environmental
Management Bureau (EMB), Butuan City Water District (BCWD), National Irrigation
Administration (NIA), Philippine National Police (PNP), Office of Civil Defense
(OCD), National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), non-government and
civil society organizations, and other TWWP members including the local
government of Butuan officials, and punong barangays within the watershed area.
(JPG/PIA-Caraga)
DENR-13 seeks partnership with private groups to
reforest 100,000 hectares
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 27 - The Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Caraga regional executive director
Nonito M. Tamayo on Wednesday has
asked the support of the private organizations in its reforestation
program to reach the goal of 100,000
hectares tree -seedlings planted in the forest lands and mangroves in coastal areas over the next
three years.
Earlier, the DENR has already gained the support
of other groups including the mining companies, the Community-Based Forest
Management sector, the schools through the Department of Education (DepEd) ,
and selected barangay government units, according to Director Nonito M. Tamayo.
"The private organizations and other
associations can always manifest their
full support in the National Greening Program (NGP) of the government," Tamayo said shortly after
the ceremonial Signing of memorandum of partnership between the DENR and the
Agusan National High School (ANHS) Class
1990 program at the DENR Conference Room in Barangay
Ambago Butuan City .
He said the DENR has a goal of planting tree
seedlings on 100,00 hectares timber and mangrove forest and coastal areas
throughout the region until 2016 since
the program started in 2011 when President Benigno S. Aquino III had sigendExecutive Order No. 26 otherwise called
the establishment of the NGP all over the country.
The NGP is a massive forest rehabilitation of
the government that seeks to grow 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million trees
nationwide within a period of six years from 2011 to 2016.
Aside from being a reforestation initiative, the
NGP is also seen as a climate mitigation strategy as it seeks to enhance the
country's forest stock to absorb carbon dioxide, which is largely blamed for
global warming.
The program is also designed to reduce poverty,
providing alternative livelihood activities for marginalized upland and lowland
households relating to seedling production and care and maintenance of newly
–planted trees.
Director Tamayo has commended the officers of
the ANHS Class 1990 headed by its President Cherry Mae G. Busa and 2013 Dangal
ng Bayan Awardee Richard C. Recososa for
their initiative of planting mangrove on a 1-hectare lot site in Barangay
Lumbocan, Butuan City as their contribution to the NGP.
Recososa
said everyone is responsible for caring the environment.
"We are great contributors to what our
environment is today and we must take responsibility by doing activities that
will protect and rehabilitate our denuded forest and coastal areas," he
added.
Director Tamayo said the DENR expects more
organization will step forward to participate in the NGP as the interest of the
public to plant trees increase.
The ANHS Class 1990 members are set to conduct
their mangrove tree planting activity on November 16, 2013 at “Isla Noah
Island” in Barangay Lombocan, Butuan City. (DENR-13/PIA-Caraga)
