DENR gives cash-for-work to reforest typhoon-hit areas

DAVAO CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has started offering cash-for-work to people in communities to reforest areas ravaged by Typhoon “Pablo.”

Joselin Marcus Fragada, DENR regional executive director, said the department targets to reforest some 4,372 hectares in Compostela Valley and 4,291 hectares in Davao Oriental, both provinces recently ravaged by the typhoon.

He said that to do it, people in communities hit by the typhoon would be hired continuously within a period of 90 days to prepare the planting site, haul seedlings and actually plant the trees as part of the government’s National Greening Program (NGP) this year.

“They shall be paid using the social mobilization fund of the NGP following the minimum wage law, which is P301 per day,” Fragada said.

He said his office would draw out some P34.65 million from its NGP social mobilization fund to offer work to communities under its cash-for-work scheme.

“Despite what happened, we will do our best to reforest and rehabilitate the areas damaged by the typhoon,” Fragada said. “Through the cash-for-work scheme targeting communities hit by the typhoon, the national greening program will also become one of the sources of income for people in the communities,” he said.

Fragada also said some 7,533 hectare of plantations established by the European-funded Upland Development Program within the 2009 to 2012 period were also destroyed and would require replanting.

He said typhoon or no typhoon, the DENR will continue its national greening program in other parts of the region this year.- Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao