MARAWI City ― About 90, 000 plantable mahogany and coffee saplings were handed over to 103rd Base Command Producers Cooperative to start the reforestation in Barangay Dilimbayan, Maguing, Lanao del Sur on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE), through its Integrated Bangsamoro Greening Program (IBGP), initiated the tree planting activity with some local officials in the said barangay.
“Our target is to plant 259, 670 mahoganies and 116, 847 coffee sapling to 354.06 hectares of deforested land here in Maguing,” said Asnawi Dataman, Provincial Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (PENRE) Officer of Lanao del Sur.
Other IBGP beneficiaries to receive saplings include Borocot Farm Agriculture Cooperative, Balintad Bato-Bato Agriculture Cooperative, Kianodan Tree Planters Agriculture Cooperative, Makalikasan Lilod Maguing Agriculture Cooperative, and 112th Brigade Bushra Base Command Marketing Cooperative.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa pamunuan ng MENRE, sapagkat kami ang napiling manguna sa kauna-unahan IBGP tree planting sa First District ng Lanao del Sur,” 103rd Brigade Base Commander Aleem Mujahid Dimaampao said.
IBGP is one of MENRE’s initiatives which aims to improve ecological environment through rehabilitation and reforestation while mobilizing former MILF combatants.
“This site was primarily selected because 103rd Base Command is surrounded by vast forests and one of the known largest camp within North Eastern Mindanao Front,” Dataman added.
In line with the tree planting activity, Dataman also led a ceremonial signing of pledge of support that aims to promote poverty reduction, resource protection and management, productivity enhancement, food security and nutrition, climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“Our long term goal is to grow 171.2 million trees/propagules covering 159, 000 hectares in the Bangsamoro region through IBGP,” CENRE Officer 2B-Malabang Benjamin Alangca said.
The local government of Maguing also participated in the ceremonial signing as represented by MENRE Officer Benjamin Mangotara, Bato-Bato Barangay Chairman Hadji Ibrahim Landua, and Technical Working Group Chairman Ustadz Japar Hadji Rauf. (BPI-Barmm)
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