PERSONNEL from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) led a tree planting activity at the Guagua Artist Haven along the Betis section of the mega dike in Bacolor town recently.

The BIR brought in employees and officials from all over Central Luzon in a bid to help in the tree planting efforts in the area. They were led by bir regional director Edgar Tolentino and Mayor Dante Torres of Guagua.

The event included the planting of fruit bearing trees, as well as ornamental plants in the area of the Artist Haven, a section of the dike that is now being promoted as tourism and eco-destination area.

Torres is capitalizing on the area that is already a frequent destination for bikers from all over Pampanga after certain sections of dike roads have been paved by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The area will also be promoted as the next pilgrimage destination in Pampanga during the Lenten season, as the municipal government had finished the construction of life-size murals of the traditional Stations of the Cross depicting the passion and death of Jesus Christ in the area located near the old Paglabuan River.

The area is the former site of the once strong Paglabuan River that shrunk into a meager creek after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Lahar silted and covered the once vast area of the river. It is in this area where the Guagua section of the Megadike was constructed.