CALAMBA City, Laguna – THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) CALABARZON has officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with SMCGP Philippines Power Foundation, Inc. (SMCGPFI) last November 18, 2020.
As stipulated in the MOA, the DENR CALABARZON and the SMCGPFI will launch a coral reef rehabilitation program in the municipality of Pagbilao, Quezon, under the Ridge to Reef Conservation program of the SMCGPFI and under the Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Management Program (CMEMP) of DENR CALABARZON.
The parties are also responsible for the adoption and the protection of 115 hectares of National Greening Program (NGP) and other fruit trees plantation, a 300-hectare NGP Rattan Plantation located within three (3) Barangays in Pagbilao, and 106-hectare stream bank NGP indigenous plantation under Adopt a River Program within two (2) barangays in Pagbilao. An additional 150-hectare of mangrove is also included and is located within nine (9) Barangays in Padre Burgos, Quezon.
DENR CALABARZON and the SMCGPFI also entered a tripartite MOA with the partner People’s Organization (PO), the Mananabas Multi-Purpose Cooperative, where the parties will be responsible for the protection and rehabilitation of the 75-hectare NGP rubber upland plantation in Brgy. San Antonio, Kalayaan, Laguna.
DENR CALABARZON Regional Executive Director Nonito M. Tamayo reminded that environmental concerns are a shared responsibility with other sectors. He encourages the public to aim to increase the Region’s forest cover up to 30%, or around 480,000 hectares.
“With the help of civic groups we can achieve the target in the years to come”, he added. He added that our forest cover is being assessed every 5 years and the next assessment after this year is on the year 2025. In closing, RED Tamayo said, “[our] Forests are the lungs of the Earth”.
These initiatives are under the program of “Tayo Ang Kalikasan” of the DENR, which aims to restore, rehabilitate, and increase our forest lands among others.|-BNN
