Submitted by niaregion3 on
“Planting trees, I myself thought for a long time, was a feel-good thing, a nice but feeble response to our litany of modern-day environmental problems. In the last few years, though, as I have read many dozens of articles and books and interviewed scientists here and abroad, my thinking on the issue has changed. Planting trees may be the single most important ecotechnology that we have to put the broken pieces of our planet back together.” - Jim Robbins
Indeed, trees have been a part of the earth even before the creation of Adam and Eve, yet, despite of all the profits given to mankind, people continuously neglect its importance. The indiscriminate cutting of trees left no forest in the mountains where singing birds used to dwell. Soil erosion and flash floods become rampant for no more trees absorbed water brought by heavy rains. Thus, floodwater cascades downhill and devastates properties and kill lives.
To address the magnitude negligence in the life of the tree, a yearly tree planting activity is conducted by the NIA family to selected places of the country. Mostly to the mountains which were victim of exploitation by illegal loggers and illegal coal producers.
Early morning of June 10, 2016, the NIA Region 3 with the Balog-balog MP employees altogether proceeded to San Jose, Tarlac to plant a total of 1,610 fruit bearing and 2,000 bamboo trees in the slope of the Barangay Sula mountain where the resettlement area for indigenous people affected by the Balog-balog Multi-Purpose Project high dam construction is located. Also attending were officials from the Local Government of Barangay Sula and Maamot, likewise army troopers and policemen based in the municipality of San Jose. The group successfully beaten the heat of the sun by planting in the early morning of the day. Packed breakfast were distributed to the planters courtesy of the men and women of the BBMP.
A total of 600 planters from different NIA Offices and LGUs hand in hand planted the 3,610 seedlings. Amidst the difficulty in climbing the slippery slope of the mountain, the mission of planting a tree was conducted very successfully.
by Eliseo V. Bitangcol (PRO)