Camarines Sur's 'El Verde' to mark first year

MANILA, Philippines - Some 5.8 million trees have already been planted in two cities and 35 towns in Camarines Sur under the environmental project “El Verde Movement.”

The project led by Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte will mark its first anniversary tomorrow to coincide with the celebration of the EDSA People Power Revolution, by planting half-a-million trees.

On March 8, it will attempt to set a Guinness world record by planting one million mangrove seedlings in 15 minutes.

Villafuerte said they decided to celebrate El Verde’s first year, as the country marks EDSA 1 since the movement, in effect, is a form of people power.

“In the same way that the Filipino people gathered together in 1986 to restore democracy in our country, the people of Camarines Sur have banded together to work for the restoration of the ecological balance of our province and enhance the environment in a manner that is both sustainable and economically productive,” Villafuerte said.

“We want to restore viable and productive farmlands. We have rehabilitated deforested areas, established special zones and protected areas to save the remaining rainforests and wildlife. We also continue to protect productive lands that yield our produce, save our food supply and secure our food production,” he added.

Villafuerte said the activities tomorrow and on March 8 are still part of the movement’s target to plant 12 million trees by this year.