THE government’s reforestration program was further boosted with the commitment made by the Lions Club International (LCI) Multiple District 301 Philippines to plant 10,000 trees nationwide.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu and LCI Multiple District (MD) 301 Council Chairperson Dra. Elisa Valdez signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) aims to strengthen the spirit of volunteerism and promote behavioral change towards environment protection.

Part of the MOA was the commitment of the organization to plant 10,000 trees all over the country to support the DENR’s National Greening Program.

Valdez also said that they will take part in coastal cleanup, outreach programs and information, education and communication initiatives.

“The DENR welcomes the initiative of the organization to help in NGP, a priority program of government, which addresses deforestation and helps in climate change mitigation and adaptation,” Cimatu said.

The MOA also aims to collaborate on environmental activities aligned with DENR programs and encourage citizen participation such as the cleanup of esteros and rivers, the rehabilitation of Manila Bay, the rescue of wildlife and the education of the citizenry in care for the environment and natural resources, among others.

Benny Antiporda, DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns, initiated the partnership. Antiporda is the governor of LCI District 301-A2

“The DENR is grateful to LCI Multiple District 301 for the spirit of volunteerism, imbibed among its members, that it will bring into the DENR and its stakeholders. This is much needed now more than any other time. We want to eliminate the culture of indifference among many Filipinos which relinquishes all environmental responsibility to the government alone,” said Antiporda.

In the same agreement, the LCI will mobilize its members and its service community within their area of jurisdiction to participate in the environmental voluntary activite of the department related to DENR priority programa in line with the campaign “Tayo ang Kalikasan.”

Tayo ang Kalikasan is the DENR’s advocacy campaign that aims to raise the level of awareness of Filipinos and promote behavioral change towards the effects of their activities on the environment.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Cory Martinez