MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has partnered with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) for a climate change adaptation program.
The program aims to support the climate change initiative and the greening program of the Philippine government by protecting and maintaining NGCP’s planted seedlings along the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway which, to date, is the longest expressway in the country.
The highway stretches 90.6 kilometers from Tipo, Subic, Zambales to La Paz, Tarlac.
The program involves the planting of 1,000 gmelina and mahogany seedlings to cover one hectare of SCTEX Cloverleaf Interchange at Mabalacat, Pampanga. To ensure the growth and survival of the trees. NGCP also allotted budget for fertilizers and truck watering facilities, the company said.
NGCP president and CEO Henry Sy Jr. said the company has always been a steadfast supporter of the greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“The planted trees will help reduce carbon dioxide emission of vehicles, reduce solar glare and solar radiation, and serve as windbreak and natural habitat for birds,” Sy said.
By 2015, the program is targeting to put an additional 5,000 tree seedlings along the 15-kilometer stretch of SCTEX in Tarlac.
The BCDA said there have been many tree-planting activities along SCTEX but this is the first time that a portion of the highway will be adopted.
NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related assets. The consortium holds the 25-year concession to operate the country’s power transmission network.