P300-M set to reforest Cordillera watersheds

BAUKO, Mountain Province – Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap recently committed P300 million as the counterpart of the Department of Agriculture to reforest denuded forests in the Cordillera and sustain water supply for agriculture and energy industries of the lowland communities.

In an inspection of the rice terraces used as production areas of the famous native rice as well as the areas being developed by farmers for organic fertilizer production, Yap directed the National Irrigation Administration in the Cordillera to immediately prepare the necessary program of work for short and long-term projects designed to rehabilitate and properly manage the watersheds and forests of the region.

The DENR chief claimed it is useless for the national government to continue building irrigation facilities in the lowland and upland communities if the forests and watersheds, which serve as the primary source of water for such facilities, are not producing the required volume of water because the trees are already gone.

Earlier, Yap also committed to fund rehabilitation of at least 4,500 hectares of rice terraces in Mountain Province, Kalinga, Apayao and Ifugao topreserve rapidly deteriorating watersheds in the said areas since rice production will also be enhanced.

Engineer Abraham Akilit, NIA regional manager, who is a strong advocate for watershed rehabilitation and management, hailed Yap’s commitment, saying farmers and irrigators in Barangay Bila and other areas in Bauko are working hard to preserve and protect the main source of water since they value the importance of the trees grown in mountain slopes. – Dexter A. See