A new program, “Mission for a Forest,” seeks to restore the forestland in the upland Barangay of Nagbangi I in San Remigio, Antique.

The program is a three-year commitment of the San Remigio local government unit to environmental conservation and sustainable development.

“It is intended to restore forest areas that have become bare because of the slash-and-burn practice, converting the forest into a grazing land for their cattle,” San Remigio Municipal Environment and Natural Resources (MENR) Officer, Ruth Martinez, said in an interview on Friday.

It was named after Mayor Margarito Mission Jr., who spearheads the initiative.

The program initially had a tree-planting activity of some 1,500 seedlings on June 12.

Another tree-planting activity is set June 27, where participants are expected to plant 2,000 pioneer tree seedlings, such as narra and yakal, in a five- to eight-hectare area.

The local government is planning to sign agreements with five landowners during the town’s foundation day on July 1.

Martinez said landowners would benefit from the program, especially from fruit-bearing trees.

Meanwhile, a planned Food Forest in Barangay Sinundolan will become a source of food for local residents in addition to developing micro-watersheds in the area.

Some 2,000 fruit-bearing trees will be planted in the village during the “Pista kang Kagubatan” on June 26.

“The micro-watershed in Barangay Sinundolan drains the water into the Sibalom River,” she said. (PNA)