Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje today directed officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera Administrative Region (DENR-CAR) to implement a court order stopping the “cutting, earth-balling and uprooting of trees from the ground” at SM Baguio. Paje issued the instruction to DENR-CAR Executive Director Clarence L. Baguilat in light of the three-day temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) issued by Baguio City Regional Trial Court Branch 5 Judge Cleto R. Villacorta III. “I already issued an order to our regional officials in Baguio City to comply with the order of Judge Villacorta. As we talk, our DENR-CAR must have already served its directive enjoining the management of SM Baguio to strictly comply with the terms and conditions of the TEPO,” Paje said. The environment chief acknowledged that the issuance of the TEPO was in accordance with the rules of procedure on environmental cases drawn by the Supreme Court to enforce environmental laws. The TEPO also ordered that the case be referred back to the regular environmental court handling the case. As of press time, 40 Alnus and one Benguet pine tree have already been reported cut or earth-balled from Luneta Hill. There were a total of 182 such trees previously inventoried for cutting, earth-balling or transplantation from the site to give way to a proposed expansion project of SM City Baguio, which in turn committed to plant over 50,000 trees to replace the affected trees.

Posted on April 10, 2012

Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Secretary Mario G. Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the DENR-DOST clonal nursery at the DOST compound in Gen. Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City slated on Thursday (April 12).

According to DENR-National Capital Region Executive Director Nilo B. Tamoria, the establishment of the 1.5-hectare clonal nursery will give the National Greening Program (NGP) in Metro Manila a big boost.

NGP is the country’s massive reforestation program launched by President Aquino last year, which seeks to plant 1.5 billion trees covering 1.5 million hectares of land nationwide until 2016.

Tamoria said that with the clonal facility, the production of high quality planting materials and disease-free planting stocks for the NGP is assured, aside from being more economical as compared with the usual practice of procuring planting materials.

According to Tamoria, the clonal facility will be equipped with the following features: a laboratory where cutting of specimens will take place; a rooting propagation house where cuttings will be rooted; a recovery house chamber, pot beds or hardening area; soil sterilization, potting and watering area; and water storage and pump area.

Small to medium sized indigenous and endemic forestry species and ornamental plants which can enhance aesthetic value and minimize pollution are the priority species for cloning in the said facility.

DENR records indicate that some 69.3 million tree seedlings have been planted under the NGP in more than 118,000 hectares. Of the total planted seedlings, five million consisted of indigenous species like yakal, kamagong, mayapis, molave, tindalo. toog and Philippine teak.

For this year, the NGP aims to raise about 114 million seedlings to be planted in over 200,000 hectares. Of the total seedlings, 14 million will consist of native tree species, according to him.