ON JUNE 22, 2019, the Sigaw ng Kabataan (Youth Voices) Coalition (SKC), a nonpartisan, non-governmental organization and a national consortium of youth organizations aimed at amplifying youth voices in the Philippines, will be conducting its first ever National Tree Planting Blitz titled “Reforestation in Progress”.

The youth-led blitz has an ambitious goal of planting 50,000 trees nationwide in just a day through their localized guilds, partners in Rotary International and member-organizations with assistance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

It is the group’s way of celebrating the Philippine Environment Month while also helping the country in reducing its greenhouse emissions, and risks of flooding and landslides.

The nationwide tree planting activities will be held in: Pilar, Abra; Tarlac Agricultural University; Victoria, Tarlac; Villasis and San Nicolas in Pangasinan; Panglao, Bohol; Las Navas, Northern Samar; Aklan; Iloilo; Sagay City and Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental; Surigao City; Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay; Pasonanca, Zamboanga City; Bongao, Tawi-tawi; and Manila.

For its Manila leg, the activity will be held in Baseco Port Area in Tondo district. It will be hosted by SKC’s National Team together with the Rotary Satellite Club of Fort Bonifacio Global City TITANS, the Rotaract Club of Makati HV Dela Costa, and Paseo de Roxas, with support from the Rotaract District Council and select Rotary Clubs of Rotary International District 3830.

The total forest cover of the Philippines in 2015 was only about 7 million hectares while the country is losing approximately 47,000 hectares of forest cover annually, according to the Philippine Forestry Statistics provided by the Forest Management Bureau of the DENR.

The total Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) of the Philippines in 2012 were 157.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), contributing about 0.33 percent to global GHG emissions, according to data gathered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (PR)