Mindanao ‘Treevolution’ kicks off

DAVAO CITY Philippines – Thousands of Mindanao residents will join today’s  “Treevolution: Greening Mindanao,” a tree-planting project that seeks to break India’s Guinness record for having the most number of trees planted simultaneously.

The participants will plant 4.6 million tree saplings in at least 28 areas across the Mindanao region to simultaneously plant trees.

The Mindanao Development Authority, which serves as secretariat and convenor of the event along with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said the tree planting would take place between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

In Southern Mindanao alone, the DENR targeted 2.5 million seedlings to be planted on 4,906 hectares of land.

“Treevolution” is part of DENR’s target to plant 8.8 million trees this year. 

Meanwhile, members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are among the participants in the tree planting.

Kahal Kedtag, regional natural resources secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said members of the MILF would plant trees alongside employees of the regional government.

“Security measures are in place to ensure the safety of participants to the event,” Kedtag said.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Wednesday told The STAR that provincial government employees would plant seedlings at the scene of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre in Barangay Masalay, Ampatuan town.

Kedtag said ARMM employees, led by Gov. Mujiv Hataman, and soldiers would plant trees in Sultan Kudarat, Upi and Datu Odin Sinsuat towns in Maguindanao.