10T mahogany trees planted at Mt. Arayat

ARAYAT -- The Provincial Government of Pampanga led the tree planting of some 10,000 mahogany trees in Barangay San Juan Bano, this town over the weekend.

The activity was done in cooperation with the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PamCham) and the Philippine Army's 703rd Infantry Brigade.

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Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda led the tree planting activities in the once site of the September 2009 landslide tragedy in Purok 6 of Barangay San Juan Bano that claimed the life of 12 people.

Pineda said it is essential to do reforestation efforts in areas of the slopes of Mt. Arayat to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

In a previous interview, Pineda told Sun.Star Pampanga that her administration is serious in protecting the environment and that the people have a big role to play. She encouraged the barangay folks to plant seedlings of fruit bearing tress and other variety of trees, such as narra and acacia.

She said the environment-related activity is a local initiative for a necessity to promote a healthier ecosystem for the residents through the rehabilitation and re-greening of the environment.

"We would like to thank the people who have supported this event, the student volunteers and the partner organizations, especially the 703rd Infantry Brigade who have handled most of the planting," Pineda said.

The governor said more similar activities will be organized by the Provincial Government in the coming months.

PamCham president Rene Romero said tree planting activities hinge on the notion that trees help mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide as they grow.

The world's campaign against climate change was recently directed to developed countries to render financial and technological assistance to poor nations, he added.

Also present during the tree planting activity were PamCham chairman emeritus Levi Laus, participants from Quota International Pampanga Chapter, Rotary Clubs of Pampanga, student volunteers and government officials. (Ian Ocampo Flora)