Press Release
July 24, 2008

Loren bats for planting of 1 billion trees

One billion trees may not be enough to cover the vast expanse of the country's 7,100 islands, but these could be a good start for a country that's teetering on the verge of losing its once verdant slopes and woodland because of the wanton destruction inflicted by man.

And yet, little do most of us realize that our present discomfort spawned by weather extremities is only a warning signal of the danger facing our archipelago and probably the entire planet, just because man has lost altogether his concern for the environment.

"It's sad that we Filipinos have not tended our garden properly. Indiscriminate and criminal logging practices, including failure to replant and reforest, have continued with ruthless pace," said Senator Loren Legarda, principal author of Senate Bill No. 224 mandating the planting of a billion trees all over the Philippines.

"Hopefully, we could restore the richness of our biodiversity by reviving the richness of our forests through the planting of one billion trees all over the country," she said.

The proposed measure enlists the participation of different sectors of society in a concerted effort at restoring the grandeur of our forests lands. Various government agencies, local government units, non-government organizations, private land owners, corporations, indigenous peoples, individual families and government personnel who form themselves into cooperatives, the upland, lowland and coastal communities, and interested individuals are to be tapped as partners in this noble endeavor.

The areas to be covered by this mission to plant forest and fruit trees include private lands, idle portions of alienable and disposable lands (A & D), and open and denuded public forests lands.

According to Legarda the rate of deforestation in the Philippines has reached an alarming rate of 2.1 percent between the year 2000 to 2005, the highest in the South East Asian region, and that some 887 square kilometers of forests area are denuded annually.

Of the total land area of the Philippines of 30 million hectares, the forest area has decreased from 22.4 percent in 1995 to 19.4 percent in 2002, an alarming pace that could well be attributed World Bank findings that the Philippines' reforestation efforts had been inconsistent with minimal tree survival rates.

"The increasing demands of urbanization and industrialization have led to environmental transgressions such as illegal logging and forest fires, and one day we will wake up to find out that we're living in a desert-like country," lamented Legarda.

Legarda explained that groups and individuals who participate in this program will be given benefits and incentives by awarding the right to harvest what they planted and maintained upon reaching maturity, regardless of the lands they use.

"For instance, those who planted and maintained trees along highways, roadsides, and other vacant portions of public A & D land shall have exclusive right to harvest and utilize the trees when they mature. Moreover, community-based forest managers shall have the right to make the reforested and protected area an eco-tourism spot. They can collect entrance fees and put up income-generating auxiliary services for the maintenance and conservation of the area. They are also exempted from forest charges and real property tax," she said.

An amount of not exceeding P750 million will be allocated for the five-year program. A body created by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will lead the undertaking.

The bill makes it illegal for any person who is not a member of the community or cooperative who planted the trees to cut or gather trees from reforested areas. It will also prohibit the conversion of forestlands into agricultural, pasture and mining and other non-forest uses.

Legarda said she will push for the speedy enactment and approval of the bill, especially since the bill's counterpart measure in the Lower house - House Bill No. 375 - has already been approved on 3rd reading.

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