Luntiang Pilipinas Revisited

A nationwide forestry program committed to the promotion of environmental protection.

THE CHALLENGE

The deterioration of the country's forest areas is the root of our water crisis, flooding and imbalanced ecosystem.

Illegal loggers plundern hardwood wherever they are: in precious and life-giving watershed areas, and even in protected areas like our national parks and forest reservations.

Most of our 125 proclaimed watershed areas are covering a total of 1.5M hectares have been classified as deteriorating or dying. We lose 1.4 percent of our forest cover every year.

Total protected area is only 2.5 million hectares or just 9 percent of total land area of the country. Protection is mostly nominal. There is only one forest guard for every four thousand hectares.

OUR EFFORTS

Luntiang Pilipinas is a nationwide tree-growing program that seeks to create Forest Parks in urban areas- in national and local government centers, school grounds, chruch yards and along roadsides.

The foundation envisions itself in the next ten years to be catalyst in the protecting and preserving the environment through the:

- Creation of an atmosphere for a sustainable Green Philippines.
- Institutionalization of a Corps of Green Crusaders among Filipinos, especially the youth to sustain the environmental program.
- Effecting change in values and attitudes through environmental information, education, and communication (IEC) and;
- Intensification of multi-stakeholder cooperation in sustainable development.

PROJECTS

It was on October 28, 1998 when Luntiang Pilipinas was launched by Senator Loren Legarda at the Rizal Park. It was institutionalized and operationalized as a complementing private initiative program on nationwide urban forestry with the primary aim of raising the level of consciousness of Filipinos to the value of trees.

REGULAR FOREST PARKS

This involves the development of Forest Parks in provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays nationwide and every conceivable areas such as church yards , town plazas, and many other available places. The partnership with the local government units is vital in institutionalizing environmental awareness and management in local governance. A number of Memoranda of Agreement have been entered into by Luntiang Pilipinas with various LGUs, NGOs and POS to effectively carry out the objectives of the program.

CAMPUS FOREST PARKS

This is part of the strategic approach of bringing the concept of environmental protection to the youth by creating Forest Parks in school campuses.

NORTH-SOUTH EXPRESSWAY (NSEW) GREENBELT PROJECT

The project calls for the creation of the Forest Park in each of the 52 loops of the 127-Kilometer stretch NSEW from Calamba, Laguna to Dau, Pampanga by planting 12, 000 to 15, 000 trees in each loop. At the same time trees are planted two to four meters apart depending on the tree specie. This is a joint undertaking with the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC)and the Manila North Tollways Corporation.

TRAFFIC ISLAND FOREST PARKS

The inauguration of the Buendia Center Island Forest Park project gave impetus to the launching this new environmental endeavor. With the support and assistance of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the mayors if the cities and municipalities in the National Capital Region, this project aims to create Forest Parks in selected traffic islands in various parts of Metro Manila.

THE FOUNDER

Senator Loren Legarda has been hailed as a "Green Crusader" because of her staunch advocacy of environmental issues, particularly those pertaining to forest and marine resources. As a legislator, she has authored and co-authored two landmark environmental legislattions: the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003).

In 2001, Loren was elected to the prestigious Global 500 Roll of Honor for environmental Achievement by the United Nations Environment Program in Turin, Italy and to the Global Leaders of tomorrow (GLTs) for 2000 by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She was also awarded by the Priyadarshni Academy in India for her exemplary contributions to the environment. She was a Likas Yaman (Natural Treasure) awardee of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for her outstanding work as founding chair of the Save Our Seas (SOS) and Trees for Life Foundations.

As a broadcast journalist for more than 20 years, she championed the cause for a more healthful ecology for heightening public awareness of environmental problems through her television programs "Pep Talk" and "The Inside Story". Her subsequent newsmagazine program "Earth Link" became the first television documentary series on the environment and was awarded both the KBP Golden Dove Award and the EarthSavers Media Award on its maiden season.

Senator Loren continues to fight for Mother Nature and with your help, we will make our environment greener, in a more progressive and healthy Philippines.

SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

More than TWO MILLION TREES have been planted in approximately 5oo Hectares across the country visible in 33 provinces, 28 cities and 84 municipalities made possible through assistance of over 240 institutional partners including 28 corporate donors and benefactors, 22 national government agencies, 21 non-governmental organizations (NGO), 22educational institutions, two international/foreign entities and countless individuals backed up by a well planned information, education and communication (IEC) campaign with the primary aim of raising the level of consciousness among Filipinos to the value of trees.