The province of Ilocos Norte has lauded the efforts of its barangay ranger officers (BROs) for safeguarding its upland forest and watersheds.
Running for eight years now, the provincial government, through its Environment and Natural Resources Office, has sustained its local greening program particularly in ensuring the upkeep of the so-called “Green Wall” of Ilocos Norte that spans around 8,000 hectares of forest lands and watersheds in the municipalities of Solsona, Marcos, Nueva Era, Dingras, Vintar and the cities of Batac and Laoag City.
Parts of it can be accessed through bike and other four-wheeled vehicles, which serves as added highway and eco-tourism attractions of Ilocos Norte especially in this time of the pandemic.
According to Community Development officer Estrella “Baby” Sacro, they can not thank enough the barangay ranger officers (BRO) who are responsible for planting and growing thousands of forest tree seedlings and fruit-bearing trees in these areas.
With a minimum salary of PHP3,000 a month, hundreds of them are deployed up in the mountains to plant more trees and at the same time, guard the area from various threats.
On Thursday, at least 65 of them came down and went to the Capitol to receive their stipends, which were personally handed to them by Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc.
Each of them receives PHP12,000 which accounts for their salary from January to April.
“Our BROs are responsible for preventing forest fires, planting fruit and tree seedlings as well as in ensuring a high survival rate of the plants through applying fertilizers and safeguarding the watershed,” said Sacro in an interview Friday.
The program of recruiting BROs is also meant for job-generating purposes.
Sacro said that aside from their cash allowances, they can also grow some root crops such as ginger, taro, and sweet potatoes which they can sell to sustain their family needs.
Under Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc’s leadership, the hiring of more BROs for every town is a priority program to address and find solutions for various climate change issues in the province such as landslides and frequent droughts. (PNA)
