WASTE OF PEOPLE’S MONEY, PAGING CIMATU

The National Greening Program was established upon the issuance, on Feb. 24, 2011, of Executive Order No. 26 by President Benigno Aquino III. Its coverage was expanded under EO 193 (issued Nov. 12, 2015, also by President Aquino).

The program has for its goals poverty reduction; resources conservation and protection; productivity enhancement; and climate change mitigation and adaptations. These goals are supposed to be achieved by establishing agroforestry plantations, production plantations and rain-forestations. The areas targeted for rehabilitation were: denuded forest lands, unproductive lands, ancestral domains, abandoned mined areas, and mangrove forests.

The goal of EO 26 was to plant 1.5 million hectares with 1 billion seedlings of native forest species (e.g., lauan, almaciga), fruit trees (e.g., coffee, cacao, durian, guyabano, atis), bamboos and mangroves (e.g., bakauan) for a period of six years. With EO 193, the program’s coverage was expanded to include existing plantations, and its implementation was extended to 2028.

To fast-track the production of seedlings for the program’s use, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources purchased mechanical seeders and accessories from a supplier abroad and put up 12 mechanized nurseries in its regional offices.

The seeders were purchased in 2012. However, these can only handle small seeds (not bigger than the seed of watermelons), mostly exotic. They cannot handle the bigger seeds of our native forest species, fruit trees and mangroves, which are the priority species under the program.

In other words, the nurseries failed to supply the seedlings of the right kind of species needed for the establishment of agroforestry plantations, rain-forestation, and mangrove rehabilitation.

And the use of the limited number of species, especially exotics, will lead to monoculture; this is harmful to ecological diversity and contrary to the principles of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

For instance, the mechanized nursery in Ayungon, Negros Oriental, raises only mangium (no fruit trees or mangroves); and in Bislig, Surigao del Sur, only falcata seedlings are being produced, no native forest species. This, despite the fact that, in the Caraga Region and in Region 7, there are many poorly stocked residual natural forests that need rain-forestation or enrichment planting, and mangrove areas to be rehabilitated.

The cost of establishing a mechanized nursery is more than P50 million, and its maintenance entails no less than P50 million a year. Which means, the 12 mechanized nurseries cost P600 million, plus another P600 million for their annual maintenance.

On top of this, the DENR is paying a consultant P3.5 million a year. This amount can employ many poor laborers with hungry families to feed. Besides, his tasks can already be performed by the staff of the Forest Management Bureau.

All these investments are wasted because the mechanized nurseries have limited use.

Secretary Gina Lopez, before her ouster, directed the NGP to resort to manual seeding to produce seedlings of the right species. This technique would enable the NGP to raise/produce seedlings of fast-growing native forest species needed by the program. Some of the facilities in the mechanized nurseries can be used for the purpose; but the mechanical seeders will be out of use, and the tens of millions of pesos spent for them shall have been laid to waste, too.

It is hoped that the new environment secretary, Roy Cimatu, will give equal attention to forestry, especially the National Greening Program which has an annual share of P6-8 billion from the national budget.