“The goal of MTFI is to plant and grow 15 million trees more by 2030”
TYPHOON Enteng wrecked havoc when it lashed the Philippines this month, affecting 324 cities and municipalities.
The National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council reported 2,834,721 persons were affected; 505 damaged infrastructure (P698,901,168.65); and agriculture (P1,907,626,468.43).
The devastation reminds all to help mitigate the adverse effects of natural
calamities.
In the metropolis, the Marikina River, the main drainage system for the city of Marikina, was closely monitored.
It’s Pasig River’s largest tributary originating in the foothills of the Sierra Madre, winding through the Marikina Valley down to the Pasig River due south. With heavy rainfall, its water level can reach heights as high as 18 meters.
DENR Undersecretary Carlos Primo David said in the next four years, three million trees will be planted by the Department of Natural Resources within the Upper Marikina Watershed to minimize flooding in Metro Manila and Rizal.
This is welcome news for the Million Trees Foundation, Inc. and its institutional partners like San Miguel Corporation, Maynilad, Manila Water, Grundfos, QBE and other stakeholder partners
Reforesting upper watersheds prevents soil erosion, stabilizes catchments and improves downstream water quality.
MTFI Chairman Emeritus Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco supports the Enhanced National Greening Program of the national government where DENR is the lead agency.
Through the enhanced National Greening Program more than 1.8 billion seedlings have been planted within 2.17 million hectares of land.
MTFI and its partners conduct tree-planting and tree growing activities and ensure the planted saplings are nurtured so these will grow to enhance forest cover.
As the non-government organization partner of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System in its Annual Million Trees Challenge program, supported by MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas and the MWSS Board of Trustees chaired by lawyer Elpidio Vega, MTFI is committed to sustain the success of the AMTC.
The AMTC, launched at Ipo watershed in 2017 by then MWSS Administrator Rey Velasco, aimed to reforest and rehabilitate seven critical watersheds essential to the water supply in MWSS coverage area in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
These are Angat, Ipo, Kaliwa, La Mesa, Laguna Lake and Upper Marikina including Manila Bay, among the over 130 critical watersheds that need immediate rehabilitation to lessen soil erosion and improve water yield.
The enhanced Upper Marikina Watershed reforestation will help reduce flooding in towns within the Marikina River Basin.
Undersecretary David said with a good forest cover, majority of the rainwater will infiltrate into the ground and only a small portion will be converted into runoff or surface flooding, adding forest cover can dictate how much rainwater would be converted to floodwater.
During a Memorandum of Understanding signing between DENR and WawaJVCo Inc. in Feb. 2023, DENR committed to reforest 1,800 hectares of the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape, formerly known as Marikina watershed, covering 26,125.64 hectares.
More than the commitment of the parties, everyone’s participation is needed and active collaboration is the key to positive action anchored on volunteerism and “malasakit” for the environment.
Since AMTC’s launch in 2917, more than 8.3 million trees have been planted.
Last year alone, over 1.3 million trees were planted in 5,490.55 hectares across the AMTC watershed beneficiaries.
This year, MTFI expects over two million more trees will be planted as pledges from 31 partners totaled 2.7 million with the Department of Agriculture/Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council committing to plant at least 500,000.
The goal of the Foundation is to plant and grow 15 million trees more by 2030.
We are encouraged by the continued institutional support of SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang, Maynilad President Ramonchito Fernandez and Manila Water President Jocot de Dios and other stakeholder partners notably the Green Army Brigade members and volunteers.
My daughter and I were blessed to spend a milestone pre-60th birthday event last Sept. 15, with over 300 GAB volunteers at the Million Trees Nursery and Eco Learning Center inside the La Mesa Watershed.
In its re-bagging, tree-planting, and tree growing activities, MTFI ensures that saplings must be suitable to the soil where they will be transplanted.
Trees endemic to the area and fruit-bearing trees – banaba, narra, cacao, avocado, yakal and bamboo, among others – are used.
MTFI believes stewardship of watersheds is a step toward mitigating the adverse effects of disasters induced by climate change and in maintaining biodiversity.
(MTV, president/chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc., is president/executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection.)
