DND allocates 12,000 hectares for greening program
Tuesday, 24 January 2012 00:00
THE Department of National Defense (DND) said Saturday it has allocated 12,000 hectares from military reservations nationwide for the establishment of tree nursery sites. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin disclosed this after a series of talks with other government and concerned agencies in the ongoing National Greening Program of the government. Through Executive Order No. 26, dated February 24, 2011, President Benigno S. Aquino III declared the implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP) to "consolidate and harmonize all greening efforts" of the national government, local government agencies and all other stakeholders, including the private sector. The NGP aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in about 1.5 million hectares of Land for a period of six years from 2011 to 2016.
"The Department of National Defense remains steadfast in its commitment to help in the preservation of our environment. This will be our legacy to the succeeding generations of Filipinos," Gazmin said. Under the program, the DND was tasked with the establishment of nurseries and seedling production, site preparation, transportation support, and security. Defense Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Materiel Fernando Manalo was given the responsibility for the overall management and supervision of the implementation of the NGP for the DND-Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Military Operations, J7, was appointed as the lead offi ce.
"The National Greening Program is in line with our current efforts to reduce the risk of disasters and the effects of climate change. There is really a need for us to be more vigorous in our campaign, in light of recent disasters," Gazmin said. With the implementation of the program, DND and AFP personnel are encouraged to plant a minimum of 10 seedlings per year in identified plantation sites inside military reservations. Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Kibaritan Military Reservation in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur, Camp Peralta in Capiz, and the Villaviciosa Military Reservation in Abra are some of the sites being considered for the program. The formal launching of the DND-AFP NGP headed by Undersecretary Manalo was held last October 11, 2011 in Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation. The DND, in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Agriculture (DA), has also included the propagation of bamboo plantations in the programs to be implemented under the NGP. This led to a partnership with the Philippine Bamboo Foundation. The proposal to include the propagation of bamboo stemmed from the reported benefits that bamboo can provide in terms of environmental protection and productivity enhancement.
The benefits of bamboo include the conversion of carbon dioxide in large quantities, the prevention of massive soil erosion which has been the cause of recent disasters, and the efficient retention of water in a watershed, which can prevent flooding. Bamboo is also seen as a source of raw materials for handicrafts, security paper and bamboo silk, a substitute for wood, and may be converted into biocoal. The potential income from this project will accrue to the NGP beneficiary communities. "This is in support of the national government's policy to pursue a sustainable development for poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity, conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation," Gazmin said. PNA
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Fire Fox or 
Google Chrome.`