BY ABE ALMIROL
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (March 11)—As they embark to meet the multi-stakeholder Watershed Management Council (WMC) of this province on Thursday, 35 people’s organizations (POs) held a workshop to craft a collective vision and strategic goals for their federation.
The federation which is present in eight sub-watersheds draining to the Upper Magat River was named Watershed Development Advocates (WADA).
Both the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya have pushed for the establishment and empowerment of the WMC since 2018.
Ansel Cabrera, institutional development specialist at the central project management office of the Forestland Management Project (FMP) of the DENR, facilitated the two-day workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday here.
“The focus of FMP’s remaining years is to improve livelihood and enterprise development among these POs,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera emphasized that only a stable income from agroforestry plantations would enable upland communities to protect the country’s remaining source of water.
The POs that partnered with the FMP were provided funding for the development of plantations and agro-forestry sites, construction of support facilities such as roads, bridges, and irrigation, and establishment of sustainable community enterprises.
These were also encouraged to train paralegals to help in the enforcement of forest protection laws.
The WMC is an embodiment of the whole of society approach to forestland and watershed conservation. The council, which Nueva Vizcaya Governor Carlos Padilla chairs, was set to meet on March 11, 2021.
James Bantasan, WADA president, urged the 35 POs to work for their accreditation in the local special bodies at the barangay and municipal local government units.