The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has committed to the reforestation of a 1,800-hectare area within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) during a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing with Prime Infra-led WawaJVCo Inc. (WJI) on February 20 in Makati City.

Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga and Prime Infra-led WJI Chairman Enrique K. Razon, Jr. led the signing of the MOU, which aims to integrate water security, watershed protection, and forest carbon and biodiversity management in the area.

“This particular endeavor will actually ensure that we will be supplying for over 500,000 households in the East soon, and we’re very grateful that some of our work in terms of keeping our forest whole in generating blue forest will be part of the work of this group as well,” Loyzaga said.

UMRBPL is a 26,126-hectare basin that was declared a protected area in 2018. It covers the city of Antipolo, and the municipalities of Baras, Rodriguez, San Mateo and Tanay.

The basin plays a vital role in regulating the flow of water towards the highly urbanized National Capital Region, and provides ecosystem services such as protection from floods and landslides.

Under the MOU, both parties will conduct joint site assessments, survey, mapping and planning activities in line with the mandate of the DENR, and Prime Infra’s Environmental, Social, and Governance framework that integrates sustainability thinking in resource management and decarbonisation strategies.

The DENR, in its mission to integrate strategies for a science-based, risk-informed, ethical and equitable stewardship of the country’s environment, has agreed to design, develop, and establish afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation programs within UMRBPL based on internationally accepted voluntary carbon standards.

WJI, in turn, supports this by handling activities based on science-based interventions that complement the National Climate Change Action Plan and the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of the national government.

The partnership also affirms the commitment of DENR and WJI to exert only the best practices in stakeholder consultations with the involvement of the local community and indigenous peoples.

“This MOU for environmental stewardship between government and the private sector reflects the commitment of both parties to develop and implement science-based strategies in support of sustainable development,” said Razon, Jr.

WJI is the developer and operator of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project in Rizal province designed to deliver a reliable water supply of at least 518 million liters per day to Manila Water and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. ###