MANILA, Philippines—Next to the communist insurgents, the Manila Bay is getting extra attention from acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales.

Gonzales has ordered the Philippine Navy to engage in mangrove planting as an extra chore in a bid to revive the mangrove forest of Manila Bay, straddling Cavite.

"I've been traveling so many times and each time I land, the first thing I see is the dirt in Manila Bay and the muddy part where the mangrove forest must be revived," Gonzales told reporters during a fellowship dinner at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday night.

He added that he was willing to spend personal money for the department's environmental pursuit.

"The issue of climate change is coming upon us so even small restorations in our environment can really help," Gonzales pointed out.

To advance such endeavor, he said he would also have to consult with the local officials of Cavite and with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

"But I've already requested our Navy and our troops at Sangley Point to do something about it," he said.

When he assumed the defense portfolio on Monday, Gonzales announced that he would also focus on the environment and issues concerning climate change, aside from ending the armed rebellion by the end of the President Macapagal-Arroyo's term in 2010 and defending the human rights of every Filipino.