TAGUM CITY—- The military joins a nationwide call of greening the environment as it has entered into an agreement on watershed rehabilitation with upland farmers.
In a memorandum of agreement signed on June 14, 2007 the Task Force Raptor of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army manifested its interest to plant trees along streams and riverbanks in Barangay Florida in Kapalong, Davao del Norte.
It has set to plant 6,000 seedlings of hardwood species to prevent soil erosion along the riverbanks and 5,000 seedlings of softwood species to reforest the same area in Barangay Florida.
The Task Force Raptor had entered into the agreement in line with the 1st Philippine Army Nationwide Tree Planting activity simultaneously conducted in the last week of July.
Task Force Raptor has gotten the support of the Girls Scout of the Philippines Davao del Norte Council which will be fielding its members during the activity.
Getting involved in the agreement, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Tagum City has committed to provide 5,000 seedlings of Falcata trees while the Katian-Mamlon-Pigwatan Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (KAMPI-UFMPC) will be giving 6,000 seedlings of hardwood species.
KAMPI-UFMPC has also committed to provide the Task Force the necessary assistance during the planting activity and get involved in the maintenance and protection of the project site.
The joint venture on which the military is getting into is expected to substantially help conserve and protect the watershed areas along Mamlon and Pigwatan creeks in Barangay Florida, Kapalong.
The creeks are among the major tributaries draining towards the Libuganon watershed at the lowland in the province of Davao del Norte. (PIA XI/JMDAbangan)
