DENR, LGU ink MOA on forest manage, entt

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources -Japan International Cooperation Agency (DENR-JICA) signed last July 6 a memorandum of agreement with the local government of Botolan, Zambales to promote the community-based forest management (CBFM) program.

The signing formally commenced the status of the Loob Bunga CBFM Site as model site of the DENR-JICA project and thus becomes a recipient of project assistance in the implementation of CBFM activities. The project is a five-year technical cooperation between the governments of the Philippines and Japan which started June of last year..

Signing DENR-JICA were Hideki Miyakawa –project policy expert and Katsuya Taki – project training expert, Forest Management Bureau Director, Marcial C. Amaro, regional executive director (RED), Regidor M. de Leon and regional technical director for forestry Ricardo L. Calderon. LGU signatories were Botolan Mayor Roger Yap, Vice-Mayor Mor O. Lim and Sangguniang Bayan officials.

Lim said the signing was a very momentous event for everyone concerned particularly the stakeholders of the Loob-Bunga CBFM site. Yap delivered an inspiring message for the CBFM implementers and stakeholders to work on for the betterment of the municipality. – Benny Enriquez