The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Bicol (DENR-5) on Tuesday said a total of 5.6 million seedlings of various species have been planted in forest areas of the region’s six provinces in two years as part of the agency’s Enhanced National Greening Program under the Marcos administration.

During the “Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas” at DENR’s regional office here, DENR Regional Director Francisco Milla Jr. said that since 2022, they have planted trees on a total of 8,771 hectares of land and intensified their programs that were aligned with the goal of DENR to increase forest cover.

“We have also strengthened cooperation with various law enforcement agencies in the suppression of illegal logging and the cutting of trees,” he said.

Milla also said that with the present environmental landscape under Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, they focus on the need for evidence-informed and science-based approaches and actions for inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development.

He said that under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order 22, the Water Resources Management Office was established to strengthen the inventory and mapping of water resources, users, and other water-related projects in the region.

“(The) WRUS (Water Resources Utilization Section) accepts water permit applications so that Bicolanos will not go to the central office to get this permit. We also do the compliance monitoring of water permits and water-related infrastructures. This is to manage our water resources and make sure that water is accessible for everyone,” he added in Filipino.

For enhanced biodiversity conservation, DENR Bicol manages 19 protected areas.

“The protected area management boards and protected area management offices in the Bicol region are in place to ensure that we are doing it right. We are also monitoring and assessing coastal and marine ecosystems and have implemented two special projects on the collaborative assessment of abandoned, undeveloped, and underutilized fishponds in Sorsogon and economic valuation in the calculation of damage estimates on the coral reef ecosystem in Ticao-Burias protected areas in Masbate. These measures will continue the flow of ecosystem services such as fisheries production, coastal protection, and sustainable tourism,” he said. (PNA)