July tree planters register with urban forestry management division, CEPMO; Project pan-tree on

More Saleng Festival tree planters, including out-of-town-based groups, are registering with the Urban Forestry Management Division, City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).

Eight employees of Advantest Phil. Inc., a Pampanga-based company expressed interest in planting trees within Baguio City on July 7 while on July 16, members of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) planted ornamentals, cypress and bottle brush seedlings at the Melvin Jones, Burnham Park area.

Last July 4, the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) and Police Regional Office (PRO-CAR) training center in partnership with  Burnham-Legarda Barangay launched the celebration of the Police Community Relations Month by planting one hundred (100) bottle brush trees along Burnham Lake as supervised by CEPMO Forester Floro Bastian.

Other groups, expected to schedule tree-planting activities anytime during the month are the City Veterinarian and Agriculture Office (CVAO); Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP-CAR); Philippine  Librarians Association, Inc; Saint Louis University School of Engineering and Architecture (SLU-SEA) Mining Eng. Dept.; Rotaract Club of Baguio; Sandigan Bayan-Dominican; Itogon-Suyoc Resources Inc.; Roxas National High School; Environment Management Bureau-(EMB-CAR); Concentrix-Baguio; and Sangguniang Kabataan, Burnham Legarda barangay.

Ten representatives from the World mission, Society Church of God have promised a tree planting activity this month.

According to Forester Bastian, tree planters may request for a specific area such as their work place or residence, a vacant area in the community, or a park which can be adopted; re-greened or improved.      

Bastian said venues for planting shall be determined as to area, accessibility and number of seedlings to be planted. As of last inventory, more than 16,000 tree seedlings are available for tree planting and project Pan-TREE.

As part of the Saleng festival, project pan-TREE promotes environmental conservation and sustainability. Free tree saplings from the CEPMO Busol and Botanical garden nurseries, of various tree species, are given to members of the community for planting in available spaces.

For starters, 1,000 pine seedlings were donated to the local government of Kapangan, Benguet, to augment resources for regreening and reforestation. MC Igorot Lundgreen Santiago Bacbac coordinated the donation and transport of seedlings to the said LGU.

Interested planters or those who want to be part of project Pan-TREE may get in touch with Atty. Rhenan Diwas, CEPMO head at city hall, or Foresters Villamor Bacullo and Floro Bastian. – JGF