By Alfonso T. Ruda
DIPOLOG CITY - The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Zamboanga del Norte together with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENROs) based in the cities of Dipolog and Dapitan has reported that Zamboanga del Norte is now 90 to 95 percent ready for the conduct of “TreeVolution: Greening MindaNow” on Sept. 26.
Jose Mario Reyes of CENRO-Dapitan, Geoffrey Zayas of CENRO-Dipolog and Maribel Acama of PENRO-Zamboanga del Nortedisclosed during the “Kapihan sa Dipolog” media forum last Sunday at Camila Hotel I here that the preparation for the “TreeVolution” is now almost 100 percent.
The “TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW” is a Mindanao-wide tree-planting activity spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) aimed at breaking the Guinness World Record of India which had planted 1,945,535 trees for one hour in 408 different locations in the said country with 340,200 participants.
Among the seedlings to be planted are cacao, coffee, timber, mangrove and fruit trees.
Reyes said coordination with the People’s Organizations (POs), preparation of the planting sites and materials including the needed vehicles to transport the planters to their designated areas are already in place.
CENRO-Dapitanhas alloted 50,000 seedlings of various species of trees to be planted in the 100-hectare timberland at Barangay Alvenda in Mutia town.
Other planting sites are Upper Dicayas, Dipolog City, Seroan and Sitio Sapa Naga, Dabiak in Katipunan town, Sitio Tinigiban and Patagan in Manukan municipality, Tarok, Lopero and Lipay in Jose Dalman town, Jose Macias, Lapero, Sitio Macayas, Mandih in Sindangan municipality, Domogok,Sitio Pase, Moyo, Guibo, Diongan in Siayan town, Mauswagon, Lomogom, Sipit-Rambon, Sianan, Poblacion, Delucot, and Dipopor in Godod municipality, Gocob in Gutalac town, Marcelo, Paraiso and New Calamba in Kalawit municipality, Sta. Maria, Lower Tinaplan and Midatag in Leon Postigo town, Binoni and Pacuhan in Salug municipality, Situbo in Tampilisan town, Mamawan and Linay in Baliguian municipality, Candiz in Siocon town, and Sto. Nino in Sibuco municipality.
The tree planting activity, which will be simultaneously conducted in the different planting sites of Dipolog City and in 14 other municipalities will start at 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The participants from the various POs are expected to plant not less than 400 seedlings in the 200-hectare public lands in the province for an hour activity to surpass India’s record.
PENRO-Zamboanga del Norte expressed its gratitude to the Department of Education (DepEd) for providing teachers to act as stewards of the tree planting activity. Two hundred five of these teachers come from the Provincial Schools Division and five from the City Schools Division