PNP, DENR ink agreement to battle climate change

By Jimmyley I. Guzman

Tuesday 6th of March 2012

QUEZON CITY, March 6 (PIA) -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) has joined hands with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to battle climate change by planting 10 million trees until 2013.

This, after the two government agencies recently signed a memorandum of agreement that officially launched PNP’s “Pulis Makakalikasan: 10 Milyong Puno, Pamana sa Kinabukasan” project.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje lauded PNP chief Nicanor A. Bartolome for its pledge of support to the National Greening Program (NGP).

“Indeed, this is another convergence we are pursuing under the NGP, and this early I can tell that it is going to be successful because of the commitment shown by PNP’s top hierarchy,” said Paje.

He also cited that NGP’s strength is drawn from the complementation of skills and manpower from other government agencies and sectors in civil society.

In the next few months until February 28, 2013, the 140,000 members of the PNP will be planting 10 million trees all over the country.

Bartolome directed Police Regional Offices to coordinate with the DENR and concerned local government unit in identifying lands for reforestation.

“Planting trees is the PNP’s own little way of helping mitigate the effects of climate change to our environment, after all the PNP is not only Maka-Diyos, Makabayan and Makatao, we are also Maka-kalikasan,” added Bartolome.

Under the agreement, police personnel will put up tree nurseries inside PNP camps wherein personnel from the DENR will help them identify tree species suitable for planting based on the prevailing climatic and soil conditions of the areas.

The DENR will likewise assist the PNP in identifying areas for their tree-planting activities to meet NGP standards for planting sites that should be reached by forest communities who will, in turn, maintain the planted seedlings.

Initially, the DENR will provide the planting materials for the early stage of the project’s implementation that will later be replaced by the PNP as soon as the seedlings produced reaches a plantable size.

According to the DENR, NGP targets to rehabilitate some 200,000 hectares and raise some 114 million planting materials by this year.

Meanwhile, Paje cited the PNP’s leadership “for going the extra mile for its support” with its pledge to establish tree nurseries in its facilities across the country.

“Taking his organization one step further beyond planting trees speaks loudly of General Bartolome’s resolve to mainstream Philippine environmentalism as one of his organization’s core values,” Paje added. (DENR/PNP/RJB/JEG-PIA-NCR)