El Verde 12 Million Trees by 2012 Movement

 If this guy ever runs for President one day, Heart2Heart will vote for him!

CAMSUR GOV LRAY VILLAFUERTE PUSHES FOR A GREENER COUNTRY WITH

THE EL VERDE 12 MILLION TREES BY 2012 MOVEMENT

WATCH THE VIDEO!!!

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The fight to save the environment is well on its way, with CamSur leading the race. Led by its dynamic Governor Lray Villafuerte, CamSur has taken a big leap in conserving the nature with the El Verde 12 Million Trees by 2012 Movement, aiming to bring back the vitality of rainforests mangroves and reefs and create viable and productive farm agriculture in harmony with nature.

The biggest environmental conservation movement for the country, El Verde 12 Million Trees by 2012 Movement was launched in two cities of CamSur, 35 municipalities, 1,036 barangays, and over 73,710 people planting 574, 000 trees in one hour. This meaningful crusade is in time for the International Year of Forests (IYF) and the launch of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)’s National Greening Program. The program also supports the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)’s Billion Tree Campaign.

The movement did not only aim to make Philippines the Green Capital of Asia, it also took on a feat of landing a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records with the title, Most Number of Trees Planted Simultaneously. The towns of Surima and Tinambac came together as they planted a total of 69,096 trees within 15 minutes by 6,893 participants, beating the former record of India with 50,033 trees last October 2010, as certified by Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator Seyda Sebasi-Gemici.

The launch was attended by no less than His Excellency President Benigno “Noynoy” C. Aquino III who was all praise in this revolutionary step for the environment. “Taos-puso akong nagpapasalamat sa inyong lahat sa pagtugon sa panawagan nating isalba ang kalikasan,” said President Aquino in his speech. “Babawiin na po natin ang pangaapi sa kalikasan. Tulungan po natin ang atin pong planeta, ang atin pong mundo, na makaahon sa kanya pong kahirapan,” told President Aquino. “Palagi po natin tandaan na ang ipupunla natin ngayon ay hindi lamang para sa ating mga sarili. Para ito sa kapakanan ng susunod na salinlahi,” said President Aquino.

“Our goal is not merely to break any records. Our objective is to show the world, that a province once poor and disaster stricken can ride about the challenges and lead the country as a progressive and proactive environment advocate,” said CamSur Governor Lray Villafuerte. “This is a testament of how aggressive CamSur is in ensuring that we will leave a lasting legacy to the youth of CamSur. We want them to realize that El Verde Movement has a two-fold objective: it will care for the environment while caring for families and friends,” said CamSur Governor Lray Villafuerte.

Assuring the sustainability of these planted areas, the El Verde 12 Million Trees by 2012 Movement enjoins families to enlist, where each participating family will be assigned with a particular area to plant a total of 2,500 trees for a minimum number of two years. For their participation, the families will be given assistance through food packages and free educational subsidies for elementary and high school age family members. They will also be automatically enrolled in the PhilHealth Indigency Program.

The Movement also pledged to sponsor and support 10 indigent scholars for every 2,500 trees planted under the public-private partnership arrangement through “The Back Tree School” program.

Private institutions, particularly corporate sponsors, are also invited to join the program through donations that will correspond to the number of trees they wish to plant. The provincial government will allocate a plantation site that will be named after the corporate sponsors. As part of the package for corporate sponsors, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), together with the provincial government of CamSur will oversee the maintenance and supervision of these sites.

The launch was also attended by fellow Bicolanos– Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje, together with Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Gil delos Reyes, and Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Procy Alcala.

The event also brought together the country’s top environmental advocates, including United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director Renaud Meyer, Presidential Assistant for Climate Change Bebet Gozun, former Bukidnon Representative and Environmentalist Neric Acosta, Gawad Kalinga Founder and Chairman Tony Meloto, and USAid environment officer Kerry Reeves.

The fight to save the environment is far from over. Let us help save the environment in our own little way and help ensure a beautiful future for generations to come. For more details, visit http://www.elverde.com/.

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