City’s Tree Planting will focus on roadside beautification
This year’s City of Koronadal’s tree planting activity is considered unique. This is because tree growers will no longer climb the mountains as planters usually did the previous years instead the said activity is set to focus on roadside beautification.
Instead of planting a variety of trees and fruit trees, the city government will give more importance to planting shrub-like plants to be a part of the roadside development. In line with this, to make it extra meaningful, a ceremonial planting of trees will be conducted in the city hall front on the 29th of June.
City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (City Enro) Augustus Bretaña confirmed that during the launching only representatives from selected organizations will be joining. He explained that they will just limit the number of volunteers to avoid crowding and to maintain physical distancing as part of the covid-19 precautionary measures.
City Enro Bretaña elaborates further that the shrubs to be planted are cherry blossoms pocketed by different ornamental plants. He also made clear that even if cherry blossoms grow, the caballero that was previously planted during the past TGF will remain because aside from it was provided by government funding, it also adds beauty to the streets. However, the latter needs to be trimmed down to enhance its growth.
The roadside bedeck is in response and support to the program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region XII and the national greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
For good measure, Mayor Eliordo Ogena wants this year’s tree planting to concentrate on landscaping activity. He longed to make Koronadal as beautiful as its inhabitants, where the city could lure people passing by. The mayor also considered himself as a city salesman. As the regional center of SOCCSKSARGEN and the capital of South Cotabato, the Mayor hopes to attract people to come here not just to ride, dine and shop, but also to be entertained and keep on coming back.
The Tree Growing Festival was launched in June 2011 as part of the environment month celebration and it became a yearly activity of the city supported by an ordinance. This year’s Philippine Environment Month special event with the theme “Protect Nature, Sustain our Future #WeHealNature4OurFuture”, hopes to sustain the government’s effort to preserve the environment for the future generation.