The City Government of Davao, represented by various offices, joined the Earth Day celebration with an extensive tree planting activity in Sitio Bala, Barangay Tamugan on Friday, April 25.
Engineer Jasper Castor, City Environment and Natural Resources Office’s (CENRO) Supervising Environment Management Specialist told Madayaw on Friday that the tree planting activity kicked off at 6 a.m., with volunteers and city officials planting around 3,500 seedlings.
He said the event was not only a commemoration of Earth Day but also a key component of CENRO’s Riverbank Rehabilitation Program. The program is designed to examine the city’s river systems, identify erosion-prone areas, and implement mitigating measures to protect riverbanks.
“Ang tree planting man god usa ka mitigating measure para ma [address] ang climate change [kay] maka-offset ni siya sa mga carbon emissions nato and maka-protect ni siya sa riverbank from erosions (Tree planting is a mitigating measure in combating climate change by offsetting carbon emissions and preventing further erosion along riverbanks),” he said.
Castor also highlighted the importance of planting trees in Tamugan, noting that the area is part of a designated conservation zone, which further underscores the activity’s significance in protecting natural resources.
He also said that, as part of their continuous efforts to restore the environment, CENRO conducts regular mangrove planting along the coastline of Talomo District every third Friday of the month.
“So either ang site ani (tree planting) is sa coastal or diri sa atoang bukid nga area (the site of the tree planting is along coastal or in the mountain area),” he said.
He said their team plans to continue its tree planting initiatives next month in CENRO sites, complementing their coastal projects.
He also urged Dabawenyos to contribute to environment conservation by engaging in simple yet impactful practices such as tree planting and effective solid waste management. CIO
