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[av_heading heading=’ Denuded Mt. Apitong to undergo reforestation ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – The denuded 600-hectare Mt. Apitong in Barangay Nipa, Concepcion, Iloilo is up for reforestation. The University of the Philippines Los Baños Foundation, Inc. (UPLBFI) has signed up to help.
Mt. Apitong is a popular climbing site among local mountain hikers. From there, one can view Concepcion’s horizon dotted by several islands and the surrounding countryside of Barangay Nipa.
The reforestation was proposed by Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) that operates a coal-fired power plant in Barangay Nipa.
“We decided to adopt Mt. Apitong but we are not experts when it comes to reforestation. We have the commitment to do it but we want to do it right. That is why we are collaborating with agencies and institutions that are experts in this field,” said PCPC president and chief executive officer Roel Castro.
For UPLBFI, its president and chairman Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez Jr. signed the reforestation agreement on Aug. 18.
PCPC also entered into an agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the provincial government of Iloilo and the municipal government of Concepcion for the rehabilitation of the degraded Mt. Apitong.
The goal is to improve the mountain’s forest cover, restore its ecological balance, and enhance its biodiversity and the water yield capacity of its watershed.
Under the agreement, UPLBFI will “provide PCPC the assistance and expertise to prepare the framework and the guidelines under which the rehabilitation of Mt. Apitong will be implemented.”
Activities in relation to the rehabilitation include:
- preparation and drafting of a master plan for the overall reforestation /rehabilitation program
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come up with a framework for the physical evaluation and analysis of viability to establish tree plantations in Mt. Apitong and the possibility of combining indigenous trees and fruit-bearing trees in the mountain
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assist in the establishment of tree nurseries to grow seedlings; and
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assist and come up with a framework for the training of personnel and volunteers that will undertake the rehabilitation
Also, UPLBFI will facilitate seminars and training for the information, education, and communication methodologies and strategies to ensure that the local community will not only participate in the rehabilitation of the mountain but also gain a stronger environmental awareness and assist in the monitoring and evaluation of the rehabilitation of the mountain.
The agreement will last for 25 years.
The signing was witnessed by PCPC chairman Walter Brown, Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr., DENR regional director Jim Sampulna, Concepcion mayor Millard Villanueva and UPLBFI assistant vice chancellor Roberto Visco./PN
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