Massive reforestation program: school tots, barangay units to join campaign

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Part of Government Report

Title: Massive reforestation program: school tots, barangay units to join campaign
extracted text: 6 Government Report, Monday, July 12,1976 Massive Reforestation Program 41 Nations To Join RP Int’l Trade Fair Forty-one countries, including the Philippines, will participate in the 1976 Philippine International Trade Fair to be held October 1-31 at the Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibitions. The fair is a project of the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos. It coincides with the joint annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to be held at the convention center in the Philippines. The First Lady conceived the project to provide foreign visitors an opportunity to see for themselves the viability and prospects of the Philippine economy. They will also get a chance to look at and examine the production capabilities of the local economy in terms of inexpensive trained manpower, natural resources, management know-how, financial systems, and the general investment climate as regards foreign investment si On the other hand, the local exhibitors are expected to establish contacts with the foreign visitors to the fair. Thus, the fair will serve as a market place for the expansion of Philippine trade with other countries in pursuit of the government's policy of expanding commercial and diplomatic relations. BUSINESS CONFERENCE - The 2nd National Business Conference winded up its sessions attended by over 400 representatives of trade, commerce, industry and agriculture from all over the country with the presentation of all its resolutions to President Marcos. At his address before the conferees, the President announced a series of directives aimed at boosting small and medium-scale industries. Carried under the sponsorship of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, the meeting was chairmanned by Benjamin Gozon, S. Colayco, Paulino Dionisio, Edgar J. Borbon, A. U. Valencia, Jose S. de Leon, Oscar Mabilog, V. Lim and Francisco Wenceslao. BFD Takes Charge Of Processing Applications For Farming Leases The Bureau of Forest Development has been charged with the mission of processing applications for industrial plantations and tree farming leases. The mission was assigned by Natural Resources Secretary Jose Leido even as forestry rules and regulations are still being revised and consolidated in order to accelerate the rehabilitation of denuded forests and to boost the supply of raw materials to the wood industry. In a memorandum to the BFD, Secretary Leido issued the standard operating procedure for the processing of industrial plantation and tree farming leases. Accordingly, applicants are required to submit feasibility or project studies covering the reforestation and management plan, forest protection, and economic and technical feasibility. Applicants are also required Sound Call For Vigorous Of Coco Farms President Marcos renewed his call for a vigorous program of replanting existing coconut farms and idle lands with superior hybrid coconut trees to increase copra production and strengthen the country's position in the world copra market. The President stressed that in carrying this out, first considerate submit field survey reports on the area applied for. These reports shall cover the following: • Perimeter survey - survey and delimit on the ground the potential areas applied for with the use of a transit. Marking of boundaries shall follow the pres^ cribed LC procedures and standards. • Timber inventory - determine the approximate volume content of the area surveyed. Data gathered should be counter-checked with the latest serial photogrammetric data. • All expenses incidental to the above surveys shall be borne by the applicant and reports shall be under oath. A nominal filing fee of P0.60 per hectare shall be collected for each application for industrial tree plantation or tree farm lease. A bond of P0.60 per hectare or fraction thereof during the tion should be made to ensure that the small coconut farmers share in the projected increased income from the project. The President said that increased coconut production would enable the country to compete better in the international vegetable fats and oils market period of development shall be collected. And beginning with the first harvest, the bond shall be equivalent to the annual rental. The following is the schedule of the paying of rentals for areas long denuded and certified by the director and approved by the secretary: • No rental shall be collected during the full term of the lease which shall not exceed 25 years; • For the first five years following the renewal of the lease, the annual rental shall be P0.50 per hectare; • Thereafter, the annual rental shall be Pl per hectare. For areas uncertified by the BFD and the DNR the following is the schedule of payment of rentals: • No rental shall be collected during the first five years from the date of the lease; During a meeting in Malacañang last week, the President was presented an operational plan by the Philippine Coconut AdnJiimstration ^d coconut industry leaders for the replanting of the 2.2 million hectares of existing coconut farms. Programmed for a period of 40 years, thei plan calls for the replanting of some 60,000 yearly. After poring over the proposed plan the President made the following initial instructions: 1. That a province-toprovince survey of the coconut farmers be made to ensure the participation of small coconut farmers; 2. That instead of a demonstration farm of 50,000 hectares centered in one province, several demonstration farms of 500 to 1,000 hectares spread out in various parts of the country be set up for the benefit of the coconut farmers; 3. That instead of merely replanting existing coconut farms, new areas be opened to coconut planting so that other areas in the country may also benefit in this export-oriented industry; 4. That a sturdy, high-yielding variety known as the milano coca be grown in the country, starting with demonstration farms to prove its adaptability and high-yielding potential, and 5. That efforts be made to prepare the minds of the people to the replanting program so that they may appreciate fully the value of the program and participate in it. School Tots, Barangay Units To Join Campaign President Marcos has ordered the launching of a massive reforestation program with the participation of barangay units and schoolchildren. This was one of three problems he took up with his cabinet during a meeting last week. The two other subjects were the repair of infrastructures destroyed or damaged by the last typhoon' in Central Luzon and the strict vigilance to prevent a resurgence of obscene literature, movies and radio-television program. The President said that during his grade school days, the students were asked not only to plant trees but also to take care of them. He lamented that there is no such program today. In his visit to the Soviet Union, the President said he and members of his party were fascinated to find one-third of Moscow and one-half of Len’^qrad forested. The President was also concerned over the fact that some private concessionaires were able to acquire titles to parcels of land in areas previously declared as national shrines. These shrines include Mt. Samat and Mt. Makiling. “It is about tnru there 7s 1 national agency to insure that national shrines are not violated,” the President said. He urged that these be declared government property and off-limits to unauthorized persons. Regarding the continued aestruction of forests by "kaingineros,” the President said this demonstrated inefficiency on the part of the barangay units. On the recent floods in Central Luzon, the President instructed the department of public highways to find out whether the highways are partly the principal causes of floods. These instructions were prompted by the observation that in Luzon, the flood waters receded slowly. The public works department was asked to put up a bailey bridge across the channel in barrio Magallanes, Tayug, Pangasinan, to establish communications and access to four towns in the province that have been isolated. The channel was constructed by the public works department as an outlet for the Dipalo and Garay rivers. Another worry of the President stemmed from reports that the road connecting the towns Of Lupao and San Jose in Nueva Ecija has become impassable due to the destruction of five bridges.
Date: 1976
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