Philippines: Environmental NGO pushes reforestation

Chito A. Chavez, Manila Bulletin, 2 Oct 13;

To prevent soil erosion and landslides which caused the numerous casualties during the recent typhoons and heavy rains, an environmental non-government organization has recommended for the massive reforestation on the country’s mountains, terrains, and valleys.

Manila Seedling Bank Foundation Inc. (MSBFI) president Leonardo Ligeralde said in a press conference that the intense flooding and landslides which resulted in a number of deaths could have been avoided if the local government units (LGUs) and government agencies prioritized a consistent tree farming.

“We just have to go back to the basics. This is nothing new. We, at the Manila Seedling Bank Inc., are alarmed by the constant landslides and heavy flooding especially in the provinces whenever there are tropical depression or unexpected heavy rains,” he said.

Aside from a stricter ban on the construction of buildings in landslide-prone areas, Ligeralde said that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should conduct a massive reforestation program where disasters like mudslides and soil erosion could be contained, if not totally prevented immediately.

Environmentalist and Tree Doctor Isidro Esteban has also urged LGUs, including barangay and community levels, to educate and disseminate information to people as to why buildings should not stand in areas identified as landslide-prone.

With the president’s scraping of the priority development assistance fund (PDAF), Esteban said that the DENR and other concerned agencies should embark on massive tree planting activities on appropriate areas to ensure public safety.

“In the city’s sidewalks and other urban locations, trees may also be planted to provide shade and to increase the oxygen levels and minimize flooding. Always remember that there are the right species for the right places,” Esteban said.

MSBFI said that agoho, narra, rain tree, yemane, kakawate, katmon, tewak, kamachille, ilang-ilang, and talisay are just some of the forest trees that are deep rooted that can easily grow on flood prone areas and locations susceptible to soil erosion.

Esteban added that at the barangays of Metro Manila and other highly urbanized areas in the country, fruit bearing trees like guava, guyabano, langka, and mango can also help in controlling heavy floods.

As several more typhoons are anticipated to come within the year, Ligeralde has also asked public and private school authorities to invest in insect-repellant trees to ward off dengue carrying mosquitoes from nestling in their respective grounds.

With dengue cases rising during rainy months, he said that planting neem and citronella trees can be an effective way of driving mosquitoes away from school grounds.

Ligeralde has also suggested that the “Gulayan ng Bayan” project of the Quezon City government, which has 142 barangay participants, should include a complementary program like the planting of the mosquito-repellant plants.

“Fumigation is a good solution but a more convenient and permanent answer to the dengue scare is to grow mosquito-repellant plants like citronella. Of course the first and foremost key is to have a clean environment,” Ligeralde said.

Neem cream, which is a mixture of neem leaves, soap, and shea butter, Ligeralde said, is an economical and effective way to prevent mosquito bites that cause dengue and malaria.

“Similar to the coconut tree, it is also a tree of life as evidenced by the documented facts about its medicinal value since 4000 years ago,” Ligeralde added.

Furthermore, Ligeralde asked political aspirants in the upcoming barangay elections to desist from nailing or pasting their posters and placards on trees as this expose the plants to imminent danger.

In some instances, he said that the constant piercing of nails on the tree trunks have caused the plants to wither prematurely.

Ligeralde also made a similar appeal to plumbers, carpenters, and lock smiths to avoid placing their advertising services on the trees.

Due to the holes made by the pierced nails, Ligeralde said that insects and fungi can penetrate the trees’ trunks and thus may put the lives of the trees at risk.