ENVIRONMENT WATCH

Dexter A. See
Group sets example in forest protection

ITOGON, Benguet – Various groups and organizations in this mineral-rich town have come to realize the importance of preserving the remaining forest cover as well as reforesting the denuded mountains.

This developed as the Tapaya elders Association, which is primarily composed of the Aritao clan, sourced out funds to impalement a three-year reforestation program that would help in the snowballing effort to preserve and protect the forests so that the Cordillera will stand on its title as the Watershed Cradle of the North.

Former board member Fernando Aritao, adviser of the Tapaya Elders Association, said their group is luck to avail of a P2 million fund assistance from the Philex Mining Corporation for the implementation of a three-year reforestation project in a 60-hectare property owned by their clan to serve as an example on what should be the model for future reforestation projects in the province.

According to him, at least 115,000 species of seedlings in different kinds will be planted in the area. The tree species include gemelina, pine, mahogany, caleandra among others.

The Aritao clan is obliged to maintain a 70 percent survival rate of the seedlings in the next three years before it will turnover to the mining company for continuous maintenance.

Aritao explained they want to set an example on what should be a sustainable watershed and forest management to ensure that the future generation will benefit from the fruits of their hard labor.

Furthermore, he added the reforestation project would also serve as a training ground for the present generation to value the preservation and protection of our forests because water, which is the lifeblood of the power plants and agricultural lands in the lowlands, originates from the Cordillera watersheds.

For his part, lawyer Eduardo Aratas, chief of Philex’s legal division based in Padcal, Tuba, Benguet, disclosed the fund given out to the Aritao clan is part of the company’s commitment to the requirement of concerned government agencies for the implementation of the environmental protection and enhancement program.

Philex has been previously recognized by international groups for their commitment to protect and preserve the environment, a major component of the social development aspect of their operation.

Aratas emphasized the company is duty-bound to adhere to existing government regulations on the protection of the environment especially in areas within or outside their areas of operation as a payback to the minerals they are extracting from underground.

He revealed there is a need to invest in environmental protection and preservation since the future generations must be given a chance to live in a beautiful environment like what we are currently experiencing.

The company’s endeavor to reforest barren areas within and outside its operation is in accordance to the clamor of various government and private groups in the region for a drastic action to preserve and protect the various denuded watersheds since it is not still too late to do so.