BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) has partnered with 100 beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to plant bamboo along riverbanks.
Planting bamboo along riverbanks has many environmental benefits because they function as carbon sinks, produce oxygen, control soil erosion, provide organic matter, regulate water levels in watersheds, conserve biodiversity and beautify the landscape, among others.
According to DENR Region 2 Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan, the 100 individuals are beneficiaries of DoLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged (Tupad) who will participate in bamboo planting along the riverbanks of flood-prone areas of Tuguegarao City and the towns of Alcala, Gattaran and Enrile.
Bambalan said the bamboo planting program kicked off on December 18 along the riverbanks in Barangays Cataggaman Viejo and Larion Alto in Tuguegarao City with Dole Region 2 Director Evelyn Ramos, City Mayor Jefferson Soriano and Social Welfare and Development Assistant Region 2 Director Lucia Alan attending the event. Planting in Alcala, Gattaran and Enrile towns started the following day.
A memorandum of agreement on the joint activity was signed that marked the celebration of the 21st charter anniversary of Tuguegarao City.
Committed to supporting the rehabilitation of the Cagayan River, Soriano expressed his gratitude to the national government agencies involved. “This marks the launch of the city government’s ‘One Million Trees of Tuguegarao Project,’ which include the planting of bamboos and natives species.”
Bambalan explained that one of the interventions proposed under the Build Back Better Program under Executive Order 120 is riverbank stabilization through the planting of bamboo and other suitable species within the easement areas of the Cagayan River and its tributaries.
She said government agencies are now working together to restore the natural defenses of the Cagayan River and the Cagayan Valley region, urging residents and Tupad beneficiaries to protect the bamboos they will plant.
“Let us take good care of the bamboo because it is not only a flood protection but also for food and livelihood,” Bambalan said.
As the lead agency in the activity, Bambalan said the DENR has identified families and displaced workers living within or adjacent to the easement areas of Cagayan River and its tributaries in initiating the planting activity and maintenance.
She added the DENR has provided the bamboo seedlings for planting and trained concerned local government units in the implementation of sustainable environment and natural resource management interventions within the Cagayan River.
The DoLE also provided financial assistance in the form of daily subsidy to the selected planters for 14 days while the DSWD provided food packs to the planters, and allocated funds for necessary and urgent projects within the Cagayan River under its Risk Resiliency Program–Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation program.
Bambalan said the Tuguegarao City government was tasked to provide technical, financial and legislative support to the initiatives, and took charge of clearing obstructions such as illegal encroachments within the Cagayan River and the river easements with the assistance of concerned agencies.
She added that concerned barangays will conduct periodic maintenance and protection activities of planted seedlings and submit reports to the nearest community DENR office of any disturbance and the need for replanting.