DENR, Landbank ink agreement on Central Mindanao watershed rehab

KORONADAL CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Landbank of the Philippines have signed a memorandum of agreement to save a 9,000-hectare watershed in Central Mindanao from soil erosion and siltation.

Jim Sampulna, DENR-Central Mindanao regional executive director, and Wesly Magnaye, Landbank vice president, signed the agreement on the partnership to save the Silway River watershed in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

The watershed is one of the two priority watersheds in Mindanao; the other is the Lasang watershed in Davao City.

The Silway watershed was identified as one of the six denuded priority watersheds in the country.

The four others are Magat in Region 2, Angat-Ipo in Region 3, Bago in Region 6, and Binahan in Region 8.

"The agreement signifies Landbank’s contribution to help save and preserve one of the country’s watersheds that will sustain the water requirements of the people in the region. It also shows that the Landbank adheres to its corporate social responsibility," Magnaye said.

He said the regional MOA was an offshoot of the agreement entered into by the DENR, represented by Secretary Angelo Reyes, and the Landbank, represented by its president and chief executive officer Gilda Pico, last Aug. 31 to jointly undertake the rehabilitation of the six priority watersheds.  

Under the agreement, the DENR will formulate the reforestation and rehabilitation plan, while the Landbank will implement the plan and shoulder all the expenses.

Sampulna said the DENR will provide 1,000 narra seedlings and more than 400 seedlings of Bambosa Bulgaris, a giant bamboo species found only in the Philippines.