Green highways up in Ilocos
URDANETA CITY – The first phase of “Oplan Green Philippine Highways” of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been launched.
For region 1, the program launched last Thursday will seek to green the sides of about 411 kilometers of paved roads passing through the four provinces in the region.
DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes, Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo Perez and other Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and La Union officials led the project launching at the jam packed Urdaneta City Cultural Center.
Reyes said he is confident over the success of the program because of the enthusiasm and support of the region’s officials and populace, and exhorted the other regional executive directors of the agency to emulate the Ilocos example.
He said he targets a 50 percent accomplishment rate at the end of the year and its full completion by next year.
The activity will showcase DENR’s urban forestry which promotes social mobility, awareness and concern in environmental care/development and protection among all sectors of society.
A simultaneous tree planting event nationwide will be held on August 25 to highlight the mass environmental action involving the citizenry to green the Philippine Highways from North to South of the archipelago.
He added that an estimated 500,000 to two million people will be expected to participate and this might even enter in the Guinness Book of World Records as registering the most number of people planting trees at the same time.
A private foundation will be formed to receive donations for the project.
The greening includes the 2,176 kilometers of Pan-Philippine Highway from Laoag City (Ilocos Norte) to Davao City, the Manila North Road from Laoag to Manila with 439.20 kilometers, and the West Nautical Highway from Batangas City to Zamboanga Sibugay which covers 823.90 kilometers. – EVA
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