President Aquino Underscores Need to Continue National Greening Program

President Benigno Aquino III emphasized on Wednesday the need to continue the National Greening Program (NGP) even beyond his term to increase the forestlands that would protect the people from the devastating effects of natural calamities such as typhoons.

In his speech during the 2015 Community-Based Forest Management-National Greening Program (CBFM-NGP) Congress at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, the President said since he signed Executive Order No. 26 in 2010, the government was able to plant 766 million seedlings in 1.2 million hectares of denuded forestlands.

”We were able to surpass the combined 1.19 million hectares by the four past administrations. And the good news: The million hectares of reforested areas can now absorb 30 million tons of carbon every year,” President Aquino said.

With the successful implementation of the reforestation program, the President said the forest cover has increased from 6.8 million hectares in 2011 to 8 million hectares this year.

”It would mean: cleaner air for millions of our countrymen; livelier environment and protected natural resources that would bring more benefits to the people,” the President said.

According to President Aquino, the NGP has provided livelihood to more than 390,000 individuals.

”One example was the planting of mangroves that can protect us from devastating effects of storm surge. Aside from protection, these mangroves would also serve as sanctuary for crabs and shrimps that become source of income,” the President said.

He said part of the community-based forest management is to train the farmers on how to properly plant crops such as coffee and cacao as alternative livelihood.

This year, the President said the Forestland Boundary Delineation has been completed in all provinces of the country.

”The benefits of this: Because we have identified which part of the forestlands can be used for agriculture and other agro-forest livelihood, we can focus more in developing the industry that would open more opportunities for our countrymen,” President Aquino said.

Aside from NGP, the President said his administration also intensified the campaign against illegal logging, resulting to significant reduction of illegal logging hotspots from 197 in 2011 to only 23 in October this year.

”We have confiscated 30.71 million board feet of illegal logs and forest products which we used for the repair of 388 school buildings and construction of 146,470 chairs for our public schools,” he told the almost 2,000 stakeholders both form private and public sectors.

”It is clear: We have harvested the positive fruits of the initiatives that we have planted from protection of environment, economy improvement up to providing opportunities for our countrymen,” the President added.

The President attributed his administration’s accomplishments to the cooperation shown by all the stakeholders both from private and public sectors.

”We have achieved this success because of everybody’s help, concerns and cooperation. Instead of pulling each other down, we decided to push the interest of the majority of our people,” the President said.

President Aquino said the future of the National Greening Program will be up on how the Filipino people will vote their next leader in the 2016 elections.

”To make sure, of course, all the authority of the state will come from you. It would be up to you to make sure that this program will continue,” the President said. (PNA) SCS/JFM