Catholic young leaders learn about trees

CEBU, Philippines - Twenty participants of the 11th Student Catholic Action of the Philippines-National Leadership Conference (SCAP-NLC) visited the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) native tree nursery in Barangay Busay, Cebu City last month for an on-site exposure.

The five-day leadership conference exposure, themed "Renewal of the Laity, paramount is climate change," aimed to train catholic young leaders in adhering to the "Green Revolution" advocacy and to carry on new advocacies to help the sustainability of the environment.

The 20 participants, who came from different archdioceses all over Philippines, had their first on-site exposure with RAFI's-Integrated Development Unit's GREENiN Philippines Program.

RAFI forester Niña Okay, who acted as tour guide, briefed the students on the different native trees that grow all over the Visayas and Mindanao.

GREENiN Philippines program coordinator Engineer Noel Fornolles further explained what the program was about and taught them about proper tree-growing activities.

"Yung matutunan ko dito, ibabahagi at ituturo ko sa aking mga nasasakopan sa paaralan dahil imbes na pa FB-FB lang sila, e di ito nalang gagawin nila para makatulong sa Mother Earth," (I will pass on to my constituents in school the inputs that I learned here. Instead on engaging themselves to facebook, these are the things they have to do to help save Mother Earth), said Ma. Kristel Hirang, 15, Eastern Tayabas College Supreme Student Government officer.  (FREEMAN)