Greening the country

Nowadays and for the past several years, we have been experiencing more frequently and severely the wrath of nature that has caused so much devastation in this part of the world. We may consider these disasters as “acts of God” but they happen because of our own fault. We have not only harmed but also neglected to protect and properly take care of our environment. Floods and landslides are happening in all parts of our country obviously due to indiscriminate and illegal logging and cutting of trees.

Hence the P-Noy government is on the right track when it adopted and launched a National Greening Program (NGP) which aims to plant 1.5 billion trees all over the country with the participation of the entire citizenry. Spearheading this program are Secretaries Ramon Paje of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Proceso Alcala of Agriculture (DA) and Voltaire Gazmin of Defense (DND).

And true enough the citizenry enthusiastically responded. Several non-government organizations (NGOs) readily embraced the nationwide tree-planting program of the government. Notable among them are campus organizations like the UP Beta Sigma Fraternity and the civil society groups like the Rotary Clubs in Rotary International (RI) District 3780 ably supported by the Philippine fleet of the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR), a fellowship mainly involved in the protection and preservation of our environment.

And so last Saturday these groups banded together and launched a tree planting activity dubbed as “Alay ng Kapatiran sa Inang Kalikasan” with a kick-off ceremony held at the UP Diliman campus starting at 7 a.m. The whole-day activity marked the start of a massive tree planting and growing campaign involving the 15,000 strong Beta Sigma National Assembly members, also known as the “Brotherhood of Scholars” which is also commemorating its 66th founding anniversary, the more than 90 clubs of RI District 3780 of Quezon City and the six Philippine fleets of IYFR with 140 members.

Initially the project aims to plant 100,000 indigenous and fruit bearing trees in at least 26 areas all over the country with the assistance of local government executives, the DENR Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices nationwide and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI). Aside from planting the seedlings in the DENR areas, the project will also ensure that the trees will survive. The DND on the other hand has also started and supported the military’s effort in the greening of all military establishments nationwide.

The kick off ceremony last Saturday, July 14, 2012 was ably managed by the project coordinator Rene “Butch” Madarang, an alumnus member of Beta Sigma Frat who is also the Chairman of RI District 3780 Environment Committee and Regional Commodore of the IYFR Philippine Fleet. Joining the affair and rallying the NGOs with their pep talks were Secretaries Paje and Alcala who are also alumni members of the Beta Sigma Fraternity. Also present to actually start planting trees at the Diliman campus along University Avenue were District 3780 Governor Rufino “Fenny” Policarpio, and some presidents of Rotary Clubs in the district, IYFR International Rear Commodore, Jesus “Jun” Avecilla who founded the IYFR Phlippine fleet, some officers of the IFYR particularly, Fleet Commodore (FC) Nestor “Nes” Atienza, FC Gerry Buhain, FC Elmer Geconcillo, Fleet Secretary Roberto “Obet” Del Rosario, and Fleet members Lito Caballero, Linda Palattao and Jhun Sadyarin.

With such an auspicious beginning and the enthusiastic participation and all-out cooperation of numerous NGOs, this is one government program that appears to be on a straight road to success. –Jose C. Sison (The Philippine Star)