BUTUAN CITY – The Region 13 (Caraga Region) office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has allocated some P82.88 million for the implementation of the “green collar program which is being initiated by the DENR under the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program” (CLEEP) of the government.
It was learned that there are two components being implemented under the “green collar program” – the “Bantay Gubat” (forest guard) and the Upland Development Program (UDP).
DENR 13 Executive Director Edilberto S. Buiser said the DENR is almost ready to hire the services of at least 362 qualified persons for the “Bantay Gubat.”
He also said the DENR will be providing livelihood opportunities to some 3,552 residents of upland villages in the different areas of the region through planting of fruit-bearing trees, high-value crops and forest tree seedlings.
“The details of the guidelines and procedures on proper cash flow of funds for the Bantay Gubat and Upland Development Program are almost done by the technical personnel of the Forest Management Services,” said Buiser in an exclusive interview with the Manila Bulletin.
He said those who will be hired for the Bantay Gubat will receive an allowance of P3,000 per month.
“Their main task is to conduct regular foot patrol in the forest and immediately report any detection of timber poaching to the nearest DENR authorities. The other task is to monitor for any sign of forest fire and collect seeds while on patrol,” he said.
Meanwhile, a total of 21,000 hectares of open lands within the country’s watershed areas have been targeted to be planted with various fruit-bearing trees and high value crops.
As this developed, DENR Secretary Lito Atienza said the UDP will, as much as possible and as appropriate at the watershed landscape level, be 40 percent for agro-forestry development of upland farms in order to cushion the impact of the world economic slowdown by stimulating rural growth through job creation and food production while, at the same time, addressing global warming and climate change.
Atienza also made it clear that the livelihood activities of forest-based communities in protected areas are highly regulated and planting of tree species are restricted to indigenous trees thriving in the area using a planting technique called “Assisted Natural Regeneration” (ANR).
The ANR involves enhancing the growth into full maturity of tree wildlings that have already taken root on the forest floor through minimal human intervention like ring weeding or clearing of grasses or weeds from the immediate surrounding of a wildling, application of organic fertilizer, and planting of indigenous tree seedlings in the area being reforested.
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