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Thursday, June 01, 2006
John Hay firm backs city's tree festival
THE developer of Camp John Hay has committed to support the upcoming tree festival calendared by the City Government from June to September with the grand launching activity on June 3.
The CJH Development Corporation (DevCo), in a meeting with organizers and participants in the tree festival last Monday, committed to donate 1,500 pine tree and fruit bearing tree seedlings that would help sustain the city's re-greening efforts for the whole year as envisioned by the festival planners.
Councilor Erdolfo Balajadia, chairman of the City Council committee on ecology, environment, and environmental protection and concurrent chairperson of the tree festival, lauded CJH DevCo's pledge of support as he requested for 10,000 pine seedlings.
Balajadia, Councilor Leandro Yangot and the City Environment and Parks Management Office (Cepmo) under Architect Josephine Chan are organizing volunteers from various barangays, colleges and universities, and local government offices to plant an initial 5,000 pine tree seedlings all over the Burnham Park during the festival launching.
The tree planting activity would be preceded by an environmental parade at 6 a.m. with participants massing up in seven different police precincts and marching towards the Baguio Athletic Bowl to show their support to the continuous preservation and protection of the environment.
Also scheduled during the launching date is the presentation of awards to environmentalists of Baguio for the year, a symbolic releasing of festival balloons, a covenant signing involving environment adaptors, and a tree festival concert.
Balajadia and Yangot also showed interest in adopting a CJHDevCo program called "Barangay Coffee Plantation Project" for integration in the four month-long tree festival.
The coffee plantation project encourages the planting of coffee in vacant and idle lots identified by the barangays to be nurtured via the cooperative effort of residents until the trees mature. Once fully grown, the coffee produced could be marketed as an alternative form of livelihood for the residents themselves.
In its third year, the project has seen the establishment of coffee plantations in Barangays Happy Hallow, Scout Barrio and Asin.
CJHDevCo has consistently been in the forefront of environmental projects and programs as part of its plan to develop the former American rest and recreation base into a premier forest tourism destination. These programs are embodied in the environmental management plan that identifies various components like forest and watershed management, waste management, storm water management, traffic management, and eco tourism. (AB)
(June 1, 2006 issue)
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