DENR IMPLEMENTS P15.9M ILOILO MANGROVE REHAB PROJECT

DENR IMPLEMENTS P15.9M

ILOILO MANGROVE REHAB PROJECT

Some 2,000 people in the coastal communities in Iloilo province will receive cash-for-work incentives totaling P16 million to rehabilitate mangroves destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda. 

The Mangrove Rehabilitation Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which started in August, aims to rehabilitate some 450 hectares of marshland along coastal towns of Ajuy, Barotac Viejo, Concepcion, San Dionisio, Estancia, and Carles in Northern Iloilo. These are heavily damaged when typhoon Yolanda struck the country in November, 2013. 

Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Acting Chief Salvador Manglinong, Jr. informed the people in communities typhoon Yolanda hit would be hired for a period of 180 days to prepare the planting site, haul seedlings and plant mangrove seedlings. 

“A worker is paid depending upon the volume of his output. A worker will be paid P3,000 for every hectare he planted. In addition, a worker is also paid P15 for every propagule he can raise,” Manglinong said. 

“The DENR needs to plant about 800,000 propagules to cover the mangrove forest stretching over six (6) municipalities. So there’s a lot of work for everyone in the community under the cash-for-work scheme,” Manglinong added. 

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Chief Raul Lorilla confirms that the project cost is P15.95 million. The amount is taken from the National Greening Program of the DENR through the initiative of AAMBIS-Owa Party list Representative Sharon Garin, a native of Iloilo province. 

Lorilla emphasized the importance of mangroves in fisheries and environmental protection. “Varieties of fish, shrimps, crabs, mollusks seek refuge in mangroves. These species form an essential food source for humans. Meanwhile, dense root systems in mangrove forests stabilize the shoreline and mitigate soil erosion.” 

Rep. Garin thanks DENR Secretary Ramon Paje for heeding her request for a project which will not only rehabilitate the typhoon-hit coastal towns but will also provide work for thousands of her fellow Ilonggo.  /MP