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Wednesday, May 14, 2003
DENR wants US$88-M loan to rehab 3 river basins
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) requested a whopping US$88.8 million loan assistance from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to rehabilitate three major river basins, including one in the Cordilleras.
The loan will fund the second phase of the Forestry Sector Project or FSP 2 of the DENR, said Secretary Elisea Guzon, adding that the rehabilitation of the three major basins, which also include the Cagayan and Pampanga river basins, will benefit more than 29,000 households in the three regions.
In Manila, Guzon, in a speaking engagement with JBIC representatives and other lending institutions, claimed that "the initiative shown by the JBIC and the other agencies is a strong signal of continuing international support to our efforts to promote sustainable development - particularly in the forestry sector.
Gozun also cited JBIC and other funding institutions for the gains of FSP I and other reforestation projects being implemented in the country, adding that the lessons learned should be taken into serious consideration.
JBIC was spurred to package FSP II, encouraged by the headways and lessons learned from FSP I, which developed a total of 68,000 hectares of watershed and mangrove areas nationwide that benefited some 26,585 households.
According to a representative from JBIC, they consider FSP I a model project in the implementation of Community - Based Forest Management (CBFM) - a participatory approach in the implementation of reforestation projects and programs of the government.
The 10-year FSP I, which will end this year, started in 1993 and is implemented by the DENR through a US$54-million financial assistance from JBIC with a counterpart fund from the Philippine government amounting to $25-million.
Areas covered by FSP I are the Itogon and Sto. Tomas in Benguet; Mayoyao in Ifugao; San Roque in Pangasinan; Balog-Balog in Tarlac; Maasin in Iloilo; Sicopong in Negros Oriental; Catubig in Samar; Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur; Pulangui in Bukidnon; Saug in Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte; and Mal-Mar in North Cotabato.
Rehabilitation of watersheds takes on added significance as the entire world observes year 2003 as the International Year of Freshwater (IYF) and the country trains its sights on re-establishing vegetative cover in watersheds nationwide as part of its program of activities. HFP
(May 14, 2003 issue)
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