June 8, 2022. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources - MIMAROPA Region expresses high hopes that the simultaneous tree planting activity staged to celebrate June as Philippine Environment Month, is a leap to strengthen citizen engagement in the shared mission to conserve and protect the only planet we can call home.

Anchored on the theme, “Aksyon Para sa Natatanging Mundo,” which highlights collective and transformative actions for the protection and restoration of the planet, the tree planting activity has gathered together more than 2,000 participants from both the private and public sectors across the five island provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.

Present at the activity sites as early as 6:00 am, the participants had planted in an hour or so, 12, 556 seedlings of forest and fruit bearing trees to a total estimated area of 13 hectares throughout the region.  

Planted seedlings were Narra, Kamagong, Bamboo, Ipil, Bitaog, Kupang, Bangkal, Banaba, Tongkat Ali, Mangosteen, and Guyabano,

Meanwhile in Iloilo City, DENR MIMAROPA Regional Executive Director Lormelyn E. Claudio, Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services Maximo Landrito and Assistant Regional Director for Management Services Donna Mayor-Gordove joined the Departments’ key officials in planting bamboo trees as part of the Leadership and Environmental Sustainability Summit.

As the simultaneous tree-planting activities also commemorated DENR’s 35^th founding anniversary, RED Claudio extends her thanks to all those who made time to participate in the event.

“We are always grateful that in performing our gargantuan task to protect the environment in the last 35 years, we have the people, organizations, groups, and institutions who all take part in this concerted effort to sustain the Earth,” RED Claudio stated.

For more than three decades since its establishment under Executive Order 192 dated June 10, 1987, the DENR has initiated tree-planting activities as a primary and critical step to improve the quality of life as well as of the environment. Planting trees help restore the forests, mitigate the effects of climate change, protect the watersheds and other sources of water, and yields fruits and other products that have become sources of life and livelihood.

“As we celebrate the Environment Month and DENR Anniversary, may we all continue to be responsible stewards of nature, and may we always remember to offer our efforts for the welfare of our environment and natural resources, and to the One who created them all,” Director Claudio concluded. ### (With photos and reports from P/CENRO Information Officers)