ILOILO CITY - The city government here is planning to plant approximately 100,000 trees throughout the year as part of a strategic initiative to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Mayor Jerry Treñas announced the city's intention to collaborate with various sectors to bolster the tree-planting campaign, emphasizing the urgency of taking concrete actions due to the worsening climate conditions.
According to Philippines News Agency, the city nursery currently houses 10,000 native tree species, and there are plans to acquire additional 'Dita' trees to replace the royal palm trees along the Diversion Road median. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is set to contribute 3,000 seedlings to the effort, including 1,000 'Freedom' tree species. Neil Ravena, head of the General Services Office, detailed preparations for planting along Diversion Road, including the removal of dead royal palms and the necessity of waiting for normalized weather conditions due to unusually low rainfall.
Ravena further outlined that the planting initiative would extend to relocation sites with fruit-bearing and native trees and would cover other areas such as floodways, roadsides, Esplanade, and the beach forest in Barangay Boulevard. Additionally, a three-hectare tree park is being developed in Barangay Lanit, with plans to plant 80,000 of the 100,000 trees in the Sunset Boulevard area. He highlighted that currently, less than 15 percent of the city’s 7,834 hectares of land is forested, underscoring the need for expanded tree cover to enhance the city's resilience against climate change.
The formalization of these tree-growing activities is scheduled for June, pending improved weather conditions.