P8-M NIPA PLANTATION PUSHED FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 2 and the Cagayan State University (CSU) have awarded P400,000 in financial assistance to fisherfolk in the coastal town of Santa Ana. The amount was part of CSU’s P8-million project to establish some 50 hectares for a new nipa plantation for bioethanol production. Corie Corpuz, DENR-Region 2 information officer, said the beneficiary was the Pasiguit Fisherfolk Association (PFA) under the “Restoration, Establishment, Maintenance and Protection of Nipa Stands for Bioethanol Production” project of CSU funded by the DENR under the National Greening Program. “The financial aid will be used by the people’s organization for the maintenance and protection of a 50-hectare plantation of 125,000 nipa propagules,” Corpuz added. She said the CSU’s nipa plantation development and mangrove reforestation project was included in a memorandum of agreement between the DENR led by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and eight state universities in the country with a total funding of more than P31.2 million. Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan of DENR-Region 2 noted thick mangrove areas in Santa Ana town. She was in Barangay San Vicente in the town during the awarding of the financial aid to PFA on July 22. “These mangroves are natural barriers for storm surges,” Bambalan said. She added that the shrubs are “good sources of bioethanol for making alcohol for our protection, especially during these trying times with the onslaught of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.” Dr. Urdujah Tejada, CSU president, thanked the DENR for funding the project. PFA Chairman Jaime Yosores said the assistance will help them earn a living on top of fishing, their seasonal livelihood for six months a year. Joining the awarding and site visit were CSU Gonzaga Campus Executive Officer Froilan Pacris

Jr., Provincial Environment and Natural Resources officer Ismael Manaligod, Community Environment and Natural Resources officer Aida Adap and San Vicente village chief Eduardo Palor.