Participating agencies and partners of the Annual Million Tree Challenge, an initiative launched by the Metropolitan Water Works and Sewerage System last year have committed to plant over 1.2 million trees this year.
This was revealed by MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco during a meeting last week with concerned agencies and organizations to firm up their commitments and discuss the status on the tree-planting activities of AMTC, the watershed situation at the Ipo Watershed and La Mesa Dam, as well as other watershed matters.
“I am happy to report that for this year [2018] commitments to the AMTC by our partner agencies and other organizations have reached 1,284,500 million trees,” Velasco said. “This is a welcome contribution to our program to sustain our watersheds, particularly during these times of unpredictable weather brought about by climate change and global warming,” he added.
Among the commitments for 2018 are from DENR Region III, 350,000; MWSS, 100,000; Manila Water/ALKFI (ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc), 132,000; Maynilad Water, 130,000; DepEd, 100,000; Angat Hydro Power 100,000; and WWF, 50,000. The Free Masons Groups have also pledged their support to the AMTC.
Meanwhile, support for the AMTC is snowballing. The Philippine Water Works Association (PWWA) last June 22, 2018 organized a tree-planting activity where 1,000 saplings were planted. The activity was attended by PWWA Officers and Board of Directors, and students from Arellano University.
A tree-planting activity was likewise organized by DENR headed by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu last June 25, 2018.
Launched only last year, AMTC has surpassed its one million trees target in 2017. Statistics obtained from MWSS revealed that of this number, MWSS CO has planted 2,000 trees; MWSS RO, 20,000; DENR Reg III, 496,000; DENR Reg IV-A, 296,000; DENR NCR, 137,700; World Wide Fund (WWF) with 43,500 trees planted; and UP Mountaineers, 500.
West Zone concessionaire Maynilad realized its commitment of 130,000 to help save the watersheds from denudation. The tree-planting activity of Maynilad is part of its “Plant for Life” program and is now being undertaken in support of the AMTC of MWSS. “Plant for Life” was started in 2009 and over 500,000 saplings had been planted by Maynilad and its volunteers at the Ipo Watershed in Bulacan.
East Zone concessionaire Manila Water in collaboration with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc has reforested La Mesa Dam. Over the past ten years, their combined efforts resulted in the planting of one million trees on the La Mesa watershed. Also, as part of its commitment to the AMTC, Manila Water nurtured and protected 86,000 trees.
The AMTC envisions the planting of one million trees for five years in support of the Duterte administration’s campaign to reforest the Philippines. It is aligned with the government’s Enhanced National Greening Program, one of the priority programs of the DENR. It specifically is for the benefit of six watersheds–Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, Laguna Lake, Marikina, and Umiray—vital water resources that need to be protected from floods and other natural disasters.