Davao City has scaled up its greening initiatives, planting 74,643 mangroves and distributing 170,761 forest seedlings in 2025, as part of its initiative to combat climate change and safeguard the environment.
The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) greening programs extend across both coastal and upland areas where mangroves are being planted along coastal lines while forest seedlings are distributed to Dabawenyo farmers.
Engr. Jasper Castor, Division Head of the Natural Resources Operations Division of CENRO, told the City Information Office (CIO) that the initiative has grown steadily over the years, driven by a strong demand coming from different barangays.
“Naga conduct man gud mi og robust Information Education Campaigns to each and every barangay. Kadto mas nanaghan through that and ang amoang isa man gud nga gina IEC is environmental awareness. Naa man ta’y climate change so, ang isa sa atoang gina offer na solution is kaning pag conduct og tree planting, mangrove planting aside pod sa atoang solid waste management nga dapat mag recycle ug mag segregate (We conduct robust Information Education Campaign in each barangay. Because of that, the request has gradually increased. And one of the things we promote in our IEC is environmental awareness. We are currently experiencing climate change, so one of the solutions we offer is conducting tree planting and mangrove planting, aside from our solid waste management which involve recycling and segregation), ” he said.
He emphasized that while the requests for seedlings have significantly increased, they continuously remind recipients that this initiative is designed not only to plant trees but, to also grow and nurture them.
“Isa sa gina emphasize namo during mga request, is dapat dili lang tree planting ang buhaton nila, but tree growing. So, that includes maintenance, and also monitoring of those mga planted forest seedlings ug mangrove seedlings nato (One of the things we emphasize during requests is that they should not only do tree planting, but also tree growing, which includes maintenance and monitoring of the planted forest seedlings and mangrove seedlings),” he added.
To reach more Dabawenyos, CENRO has joined the Serbisyo caravans that deliver seedlings directly to beneficiaries, guaranteeing that residents living in far flung areas have access to planting supplies.
Castor urged Dabawenyos to take part in in these initiatives to strengthen climate resilience, protect biodiversity and safeguard communities from the impact of climate change.
“Gina invite nato tanan Dabawenyos to avail our services, labi na sa kaning atoang greening programs or tanang services sa city environmental natural resources office, since ang kaning atoang pag protect or pag conserve sa atoang environment, is not just the role of the city government or national government. Each one of us also have a role in the protection and conservation of these protected areas and the whole environment (We invite all Dabawenyos to avail themselves of our services, especially our greening programs or all services from the CENRO, since the protection or conservation of our environment is not just the role of the city government or national government. Each one of us also has a role in the protection and conservation of these protected areas and the whole environment),” he said.
The City Government of Davao continues to be at the forefront of these initiatives, ensuring a healthier and more sustainable environment for generations to come. CIO
Written by: K. Malasado
Edited by: A. Nawal
Photo by: J. Faelnar
