Maasin City, Southern Leyte – Twenty four thousand mangrove tree seedlings were planted in two consecutive years in 2007 and 2008 in 12 municipalities covering a total of 24 barangays of this province allegedly as a measure to help mitigate climate change or global warning.

This was the disclosure of Evangeline Andrade Alvarez, Aquaculturist 2 of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) whose office is located within the two-storey building of the Provincial Capitol here.

She implied that prior to the distribution of the mangroves or beach forest plantlets, municipal, barangay officials, and other participating sectors have undergone orientations on how to plant the seedlings, the distance between them and the system on how to take care of the newly-planted trees in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Alvarez said that the 12 municipalities involved in the project were Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, St.Bernard, San Juan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan and Silago. These are the places where there are existing mangrove areas suitable for rehabilitation, she said.

The Aquaculturist informed that each municipality has received 2,000 mangrove seedlings consisting of 3 species of bungalon (Avicennia specie), bakhaw (Rhizophora specie) and pagatpat (Sonneratia specie) with a total cost of P120, 000.00. She explained that the numbers of mangrove seedlings given is for each municipality?s 2 barangays? mangrove areas.

For her part Eva Abad, PENRMO head, said that in barangays where some mangrove seedlings are still needed to fill up a vacant lot intended for the plantation, the barangay officials concern can still make requests for additional plantlets.

She informed that PENRMO?s coastal greenbelt project is intended to be expanded to wider areas of the province where some coastlines suitable for the plantation of mangroves or beach forest trees are not yet being undertaken.

The PENRMO head further said that her office?s project is in partnership with the Provincial Government, GTZ (a German acronym which means in English, German Technical Cooperation), Environment Rural Deve- lopment, DENR?s Coastal Management Division and the LGUs.

Abad disclosed that her office also urged the project?s 12 recipient-municipalities to make its respective municipal nurseries for mangroves and other beach forest trees like bitaog, talisay, bani, abgao, nino, anonang, lagundi and other associated species that will thrive along the coastlines.

She added that the perennial availability of these seedlings/plantlets is needed as future replacements for those plants that might die or have not grown into maturity. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)

About the Contributor:

Mr. Quirico M. Gorpido Jr was an erstwhile Correspondent/Contributor to the following weeklies and dailies: Tacloban-based regional weekly a 33-year-old The Reporter for many years(now defunct), a Cebu-based weekly The Visayan Express(now defunct),Cebu-based daily The Freeman(1994-1998) now a sister publication of The Philippine Star, Maasin-based weekly The Southern Leyte Times for three years, Tacloban-based daily The Leyte Samar Daily Express(2000-2001), Cebu-based daily the Cebu Daily News(2002-2003), Tacloban-based weekly 7-year-old Tribune(2003-2007).