DOTr to plant 1.2M trees to support watersheds around NSCR

MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing to plant 1.2 million trees in the next five years to support watersheds and other key areas surrounding the North – South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.

In a message to reporters, DOTr Assistant Secretary IC Calaguas said the NSCR Greening Program has a budget of PHP14 million that will be used to purchase seedlings and pay for the plants' maintenance for five years.

The project is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to ensure climate protection initiatives are in place in areas affected by big-ticket transport projects.

The greening program involves seedling procurement and delivery, plantation establishment, maintenance and protection, validation activities, and project management and supervision.

DOTr acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez has approved the planting of 690,000 trees in the Pampanga and Cavite watersheds in July.

“Magtatanim tayo ng mga puno bilang kapalit ng naputol na mga puno bunga ng pagtatayo ng mga naturang proyekto (We will plant trees to replace those we cut as part of our projects),” Lopez said.

The DOTr is mandated to implement a greening program as part of a tree-cutting permit for the NSCR Calamba Extension Project issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

One of the sites for the tree-planting program is the 546-hectare Barangay Sapangbato at the Sapangbato Watershed, crucial for preventing flooding in the area and providing clean water to Angeles City, Pampanga.

On the other hand, the DOTr will also plant seedlings at the Sacobia Watershed, which serves as the primary watershed in Pampanga province.

The DOTr has so far planted 300,000 trees in Barangay Ayala and Barangay Turu in Magalang, Pampanga.

The planting program was made possible in partnership with the Samahan ng mga Magsasaka sa Mataas na Lupa, Inc. and La Paz Turu Upland Farmers Association.

On Monday, the Asian Development Bank agreed to serve a partial credit guarantee (PCG) of up to USD800 million to operators of the NSCR project upon request of the Philippine government.

The availability of the PCG is meant to ensure sustainable and efficient operations of the NSCR, encourage bidder participation, improve competition, and strengthen the financial viability of the project. (PNA)