DENR-8 to plant 100 trees, replacing every felled tree along road project

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Every tree cut along the 222-kilometer span of the Secondary National Road Development project, covering parts of Samar and Eastern Samar provinces, will be replace by 100 trees to be planted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region 8.

DENR-8 regional director Leonardo Sibbaluca, told reporters that an inventory of his office showed that 7,739 trees were felled during the road development works and these will be replaced by planting 773,900 seedlings or propagules to offset the loss of the trees and those damaged during the Yolanda devastation.

"A single tree that is cut is replaced by planting 100 new trees. We have to accelerate our efforts in enhancing our environment especially now that we are facing the threats of global warming and climate change," Sibbaluca said.

The replanting of trees, under the tree replacement program of the national government, was recently launched at Barangay Batang in Hernani town of Eastern Samar. This is being carried out by the DENR-8 itself in cooperation with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Sibbaluca said the DPWH had transferred a total of close to P21 million of its road project budget to defray the cost for the DENR's tree replacement program, while the DSWD will share its resources by letting the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries and poor communities along the project sites to participate in the tree planting.

The SNRD road project will cover the towns of Paranas and Hinabangan in Samar; and Taft, Sulat, San Julian, Borongan, Maydolong, Balangkayan, Llorente, Hernani, General MacArthur, Quinapondan, Salcedo, Mercedes and Guiuan in Eastern Samar. (FREEMAN)