Folks 12 and over required to plant a tree per year

THE Talisay City Council declared June 5 of every year as Arbor Day or Tree Planting Day to protect the environment and mitigate effects of natural calamities.

City Councilor Antonio Bacaltos Jr. sponsored an ordinance observing Arbor Day on that date, following the approval of a resolution on the same matter on May 13 last year.

The ordinance was referred to the Provincial Board’s (PB) committee on environment and natural resources headed by PB Member Thadeo Ouano for review.

Bacaltos cited research that “reveals that the massive global climate change today is largely attributed to human’s misdeeds and lack of environmental respect.”

He said that declaring a day to plant trees is in response to the call to help fight global warming and “to ensure continuous tree planting, thereby reinforcing, enriching and maintaining ecological balance.”

The City approved the ordinance in keeping with a memorandum from the Cebu Provincial Directorate of the Department of Interior and Local Government dated May 2, 2014.

National law

That memorandum requested every local government unit to proclaim Arbor Day pursuant to Republic Act 10176, also known as the Arbor Day Act of 2012.

According to the ordinance, an Arbor Day Celebration Committee will be created and headed by the mayor.

The committee will create plans and activities, designate an area where the trees will be planted, monitor and record the activities and projects undertaken, and create measures on maintaining and protecting the newly planted seedlings.

Residents of Talisay City 12 years old and older are required to plant one seedling each.

The City Government and its offices, non-government organizations, civil society groups, private sector and academic institutions in Talisay are required to submit to the committee their plans and accomplishments in relation to Arbor Day.

The City Agriculture Office will supply and distribute the seedlings for the tree-planting program.