COTABATO CITY โ Upland communities in South Cotabato and nearby General Santos City have successfully grown nearly 45,000 forest and fruit trees over the past four years, a reforestation effort that environmental advocates say should be replicated across Central Mindanao.
Environmentalists and religious leaders from Muslim and Christian groups in South Cotabato said on Sunday, January 18, that the initiative shows how community-led conservation can help restore denuded forest areas when local governments, state agencies, and indigenous peoples work together.
Radio reports said a total of 44,970 forest and fruit tree seedlings were planted in Barangay Mabuhay in General Santos City, the Lambayong ridges, and the upland villages of Tablu and Danlag in Tampakan town, areas near the slopes of Mount Matutum. Participants included barangay officials, members of indigenous Blaan communities, and settlers from neighboring areas.
Multi-sector effort
The reforestation drive involved the planting of forest species such as tuai, narra, mahogany, and kalantas, alongside fruit and livelihood crops like guyabano and Coffea Arabica, according to local executives and officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 12 (DENR-12).
The initiative was jointly carried out by local government units, DENR-12, mixed Blaan and settler communities, and environmental experts from Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI), which provided the seedlings used in the tree-planting activities.
DENR-12 officials said the seedlings were distributed and planted during multi-sector activities held in recent years in Barangay Mabuhay and in the hinterland communities of Lambayong, Tablu, and Danlag.
High survival rate
Documents from local governments, DENR-12, and the community-based Pagkakaisa Agroforest Development Association showed that in Barangay Mabuhay alone, 6,914 of the 7,118 seedlings planted are thriving, monitored and maintained by local residents.
Two elderly Blaan leaders, Fasing Guwenong and Kintew Lanubat, separately said they were grateful for the assistance extended by DENR-12 and SMI in rehabilitating forestlands within their ancestral domains.
Tampakan context
SMI holds a government contract to develop the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project, which covers upland Blaan communities in Tampakan (South Cotabato), Columbio (Sultan Kudarat), Malungon (Sarangani), and Kiblawan (Davao del Sur). The project has secured written consent from the Blaan tribe and approval from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples but has yet to begin operations more than a decade after its approval.
Local leaders in areas covered by the project said the companyโs nursery in Tampakan continues to support reforestation efforts regardless of the projectโs operational status.
Datu Zahir Mamalinta, chair of the predominantly Blaan Barangay Datalblao in Columbio, said DENR-12 and SMI are helping local communities protect forestlands from illegal logging while expanding tree-planting initiatives.
โWe are working together to protect our forests from poachers and to plant more trees in our surroundings,โ Mamalinta said.
Vice Mayors Maria Theresa Constantino of Malungon and Joel Calma of Kiblawan said SMI promptly supplies forest tree seedlings to their local governments whenever needed for regular tree-planting activities in upland areas where Blaan communities live.
Environmental advocates said the initiative highlights the role of indigenous stewardship and sustained community monitoring in ensuring the survival of reforestation projects beyond ceremonial planting activities.
About The Author
