240,000 bakawan planted in two months

A villager who participated in the mangrove planting gig carries young bakawan planting shoots. - Photo courtesy of ARTEM ANDAYA 

 By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

THE Mambulao government’s tree planting program set up a total of 240,000 bakawan trees in five municipal mangrove areas during the past two months since it was launched last July 21.

For September alone, the exercise saw the transplant of 66,200 propagule seedlings.

Councilor Artem Andaya, who has been tasked to spearhead the replanting, said there were five gigs held last month, involving the local government, barangay councils, various community organizations and residents.

Notably, the tribal community of Kabihug had also participated actively in the tree planting activities in Sitio Kalibigahu in Baranggay Osmena.

The mangrove planting gigs were held in Pag-asa, where 15,000 trees were planted last Sept 6; Kalabihagu, 19,000 (Sept 7); Dahican, 20,000 (Sept 14); Salvacion, 6,000 (Sept 14) and Calero, 6,200 (Sept 14).

The first month of the tree-planting program saw some 173,800 bakawan seedlings invading the denuded mangrove areas of the five baranggays.

Andaya said that the tree-planters included the Mambulao government’s officials and employees; baranggay councils led by their respective chairmen; SPACFI-IC Partner Families; Bantay-Dagat of Mambulao; Pantawid Pamilya Beneficiaries; Pag-asa Elementary School, Yes-O Club; CNSC-JP Campus.

He said he is appealing for sponsorships of tree-planting materials that would soon cover the denuded upland areas and forests around the municipality.

“It costs only one peso to sponsor one planting material,” Andaya said, adding that the fund would go to the cost of fertilizer, bagging materials, insecticides and maintenance of the municipal nursery for bakawan and other tree species.

Recently, online newstunnel MWBuzz donated more than P30,000 towards the propagation of new seedlings.

MWBuzz raised the money from the donations of  Mambulaoans based in the US, Canada, Middle East and elsewhere in the Philippines.

The tree-planting program targets one million trees – bakawan and upland tree-species – to be planted in three years, covering 2,000ha across the municipality.

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