Batac plants 30,000 forest seedlings annually

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

BATAC CITY—Rising temperatures, withering agricultural crops and rivers running dry. These are just among the signs of times where local residents here cannot just take it sitting down.

Rising above the challenge of climate change, the Batac City government has been planting around 30,000 forest trees every year in response to the worsening effects of global warming and extreme weather temperatures bringing in incessant flooding within Batac and its neighboring town of Paoay that forms its own infinite pool along the national highway during heavy rains.

Launched in 2009, the city government initiated project “Save the Quiaoit River, the Mountains and the Watershed,” continues to gain ground with the full support of the communities and a multi-sectoral group of government and non-government organizations including the schools and the mass media.

The river is one of two major waterways of Batac that straddles the Poblacion and drains towards its neighboring town Paoay. Measuring to 19.5 kilometers, it traverses eight urban and seven rural villages. These include Barangays Valdez, Ablan, Caunayan, San Julian, Lacub, Barani, Ben-Agan and Palpalicong, Quiling Sur, Parangopong, Mabaleng, Colo, Payao, Quiom and Maipalig.

This year, the City Agriculture Office is again propagating around 30,000 saplings of Mahogany, Narra and Gmelina among others, ready to be planted in the city’s upland villages and in at least 4,000 hectares of watershed areas.

With the onset of the rainy season, city provincial agriculturist Maryline Gappi said they are ready to distribute the seedlings.

Based on initial evaluation of the project, Ms. Gappi admitted that full recovery of the planted seedlings is not one hundred percent as there will always be an expected mortality.

Nonetheless, the city government under the administration of Mayor Jeffrey Jubal C. Nalupta continues to engage people’s participation to support the project, which has now expanded to other denuded mountains and watershed areas.

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