The local government of Valencia spearheaded a multi-sectoral, community-based tree planting activity on July 16 in various sites of Valencia, including a major watershed site that provides major source of water in Dumaguete and its neighboring towns.
About 600 individuals were scheduled to plant 3,000 fruit trees in Sitio Marulay in Barangay Lunga, a watershed site, Barangay Apolong, and Barangay Sagbang.
The tree planting activity was joined by civic groups, business organizations, the academe, government agencies, and other concerned individuals. A short program at the plaza will open the activity after which the participants will be deployed to their respective site assigned to them.
Valencia Mayor Enrique Gonzalez said his administration is now planning to institutionalize the community-based tree planting event and encourage more groups to join the activity in the coming years.
Valencia has been planting and maintaining forest and fruit trees in more than 170 hectares of land under its Watershed Reforestation and Restoration project in 11 barangays for the past five years now.
This is also Valencia’s contribution to the National Greening Program of President Aquino as mandated under EO No. 26 s. 2011, as a long-term strategy to address poverty, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation, said Mayor Gonzalez. (PIA NegOr/JCT)