DENR-8 puts up reforestation projects in Samar, E. Samar

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region 8 recently announced that a reforestation project is now being implemented in Samar Island.

DENR-8 Executive Director Leonardo Sibbaluca said this project is a replacement program involving the planting of 100 seedlings for every naturally-grown tree and 50 for every planted tree that were cut due to a project of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

The NGCP had cut trees to give way for the construction or installation of its 69-kiloVolt transmission line project covering a span of 95.5 kilometers traversing the towns of Sta. Rita and Marabut in Samar to Lawaan, Balangiga, Giporlos and Quinapondan towns in Eastern Samar.

Sibbaluca said the special tree cutting permit issued to NGCP required the replacement of every tree cut, or a total of 133,050 seedlings in an 80-hectare site in Basey and 16,600 in a 10-ha. site in Giporlos. Eighty percent of these seedlings to be planted are forest trees, while the rest are fruit-bearing trees.

Sibbaluca said a memorandum of agreement for the tree replacement program was signed by the NGCP, the DENR and two people’s organizations that will plant, maintain and protect the seedlings under the government’s Upland Development Program and Climate Change Initiative.

The reforestation program, under a three-year duration, costs P2.7 million for Samar and P581,390 for Eastern Samar, with funding support from the NGCP, Sibbaluca added.