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Friday, January 30, 2015

DENR-7 budgets P404M for NGP 2015


CEBU CITY, January 30 (PIA) --- With a budget of more than P404 million for the National Greening Program (NGP) this year, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) is ready to kick off its NGP implementation in Central Visayas after a successful completion in  2014.

DENR-7 regional executive director Dr. Isabelo Montejo said the allocation will be used to establish more plantations in the region maintaining existing plantations and acquiring firefighting equipment in cases of forest fires for forest protection.
Based on the forest management services (FMS) data, DENR-7 is set to produce over 11.5 million indigenous or native tree seedlings of various species to cover about 15T plus hectares of identified NGP areas in the four provinces of the region this year, bared Dr. Eddie Llamedo, head of the Regional Public Information Office of DENR-7.
Meanwhile, Montejo stressed, “Our target for this year is 2,800 hectares lesser than that of last year since we have more maintenance and protection efforts to execute to ensure the safety and good growth of the existing plantations especially those which were established since 2011.”
Of the total target, Cebu Province will produce 2,772,000 seedlings to cover 4, 414 hectares: Bohol Province with 2,535,400 seedling production target for 3,033 hectares; Negros Oriental with the largest target of 6,153,600 seedlings for 7,489 hectares; and Siquijor Province with 96,500 seedlings to reforest 185 hectares of NGP area in the province, Llamedo said.
He added, the NGP aims to reforest some 1.5 million hectares of degraded forest lands in the country and to essentially develop a sustainable forest resource base to accelerate the national greening campaign to address poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Llamedo announced, “On its fifth year now and as we get nearer to its completion in 2016, we will continue to do our best to contribute to our national target and deliver its objectives for the success and milestone of the first ever and largest re-greening program in the Philippine history.”
DENR 7 has reported a 113 percent accomplishment in NGP in 2014. In a consolidated report, Region 7 was able to produce a total of 15,967,171 seedlings which reforested around 20, 296.97 hectares in Central Visayas, said Llamedo. (mbcn/jsme/PIA7-Cebu/DENR7)