All systems go for ‘Green RP Highway’ in Cagayan Valley

ILAGAN, Isabela — It is all systems go for the re-greening of more than 400 kilometers of the national highway and other major roads in Cagayan Valley.

Forester Felix Taguba, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is all set for the "Green Philippines Highway" project, which will be simultaneously launched in different parts of the country on Aug. 25.

Taguba said the project envisions the re-greening of the country’s national highway system: the 2,176-kilometer Pan Philippine Highway from Laoag City to Davao City, the 439-kilometer Manila North Road from Laoag to Bulacan, and the 824-kilometer West Nautical Highway from Batangas City to Mindoro, Aklan, Negros Oriental and Zamboanga Sibugay.

At least 60 non-government organizations (NGOs) have pledged their full support for the re-greening project, said Odette Alcantara, who represents the Mother Earth Network.

Taguba said the multisectoral project will also involve government agencies, local governments and the private sector.

He said Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes is visiting Cagayan Valley tomorrow to brief local officials and other local leaders on their respective roles in the project.

As part of "Green Philippines Highway," seedlings of mahogany and fruit-bearing trees will be planted along the whole stretch of the region’s Daang Maharlika from the mountainous town of Santa Fe in Nueva Vizcaya, the gateway to the region, to the coastal town of Santa Praxedes in Cagayan, the region’s northern backdoor.

The re-greening project will also cover secondary roads like those from Cordon, Isabela to Quirino province and in Isabela’s Mallig region from Santiago City to Enrile, Cagayan.

"This move will go a long way in again making our thoroughfares the scenic spots they once were long ago," Taguba said. — Charlie Lagasca, Perseus Echeminada