After the massive flooding that happened in Marikina City caused by Typhoon Ulysses (international name Vamco), Filipinos have been calling for the rehabilitation of the Marikina Watershed, something that has long been pushed, particularly by the late Gina Lopez.
Now, this group is making efforts to finally bring that plan to life.
Fr. Benigno P. Beltran of “Mga Anak ni Inang Daigdig,” the performing arts group from Smokey Mountain, announced on Facebook last Friday that they will be planting a giant bamboo along the banks of the Marikina River in the hopes of helping with the reforestation. Fr. Beltran shared photos of the Philippine Giant Bamboo shoot, a species endemic to the country, as he talked about their initiative.
“Dendrocalamus Asper – we will plant the Philippine Giant Bamboo along the river banks of the Marikina River and its tributaries along the Marikina Watershed. We already ordered seedlings from Bukidnon. Take a look at the shoot I am holding! In ideal conditions, it’s poles can reach up to 14 inches at the base,” he wrote.
He also shared that his group is currently working together with foresters and those with doctorates in forest management from UP Los Baños.
Many Filipinos have since expressed support for the initiative and vowed to volunteer with the planting once more bamboo shoots arrive.
Mga Anak ni Inang Daigdig were designated as Ambassadors for Peace and Environment by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
(ALSO READ: LOOK: This student envisioned high-rise buildings made of bamboo–and they’re beautiful)
Meanwhile, Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, during an interview with ANC’s “Matters of Fact,” urged the national government to focus on addressing the climate crisis and putting a stop to land grabbing, illegal logging, and quarrying activities in order to prevent massive flooding in the future.
“We should address this issue now. Not rhetorically or mere pronouncement but there should be a statutory framework that would comply with everybody to provide programs and activities to address the effects of climate change,” he said.
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