EX-SOLDIERS WAGE WAR AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
Cimatu, Garcia, Velasco, Bataoil, former top-ranked soldiers, form group to plant a million trees
Former battle-tested soldiers have formed themselves into a group to wage another kind of warfare--mitigate the effects of climate change through massive tree planting nationwide.
The group is composed of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu, DENR Undersecretary Rodolfo Garcia, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Reynaldo Velasco, and Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil.
They made their commitment at the Annual Million Tree Challenge (AMTC) Recognition and Pledging Day at the MWSS compound in Balara, Quezon City on Friday.
Incidentally, the four of them are former soldiers, graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), and veterans of the Mindanao War.
Cimatu was commander of the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army when the 2000 Mindanao War broke out. It was his unit--the 4th Infantry Division--that was responsible for the capture of more than 40 camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Central Mindanao after reinforcing the beleaguered 6th Infantry Division. This earned him the sobriquet Gen. Pacman.
For his brilliance in combat strategy, Cimatu was named as the 30th chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) after his stint in Mindanao.
On the other hand, Garcia, Cimatu’s classmate in PMA Class of 1970, was assigned in Mindanao for most of his military career, particularly at the height of the armed conflict where he demonstrated his fighting ability. Garcia retired as major general and AFP vice chief of staff for operations.
Velasco, the first commander of the famed Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine Constabulary (PC), now of the Philippine National Police (PNP), saw action in Mindanao when he led his unit - not only in fighting rebel forces during the long-drawn Mindanao War, but also wanted criminals in the region.
For his bravery in combat, Velasco was promoted to deputy PNP director general with a three-star rank.
Bataoil, a retired two-star general of PNP, who also saw action during the Mindanao War, is now a congressman representing the second district of the province of Pangasinan.
For the four retired general, they found themselves being recalled to “active duty,” but this time, not as combatants but serving in various capacities when they were appointed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to high government posts.
Upon assuming his new position as MWSS administrator, Velasco initiated the project, which he dubbed as the “Annual Million Tree Challenge”, by encouraging both government and private sectors to plant one million trees a year for five years from 2017 to 2022 to mitigate the effects of environment degradation as a consequence of climate change.
Cimatu immediately supported and endorsed the noble project with the full participation of the DENR, MWSS, and its two major concessionaires, Maynilad and Manila Water.
During the AMTC recognition day, Velasco said the reforestation project began last year in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for sustainable watershed protection, which the latter reiterated during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) before Congress last Monday.