DENR plants bamboos in Bamban River to boost reforestation, Manila Bay rehab efforts

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) planted over 230 bamboo seedlings along Bamban River in an effort to boost reforestation and Manila Bay rehabilitation efforts in Tarlac.

DENR Tarlac Provincial chief Celia Esteban reported that the 3,600-square meter portion of the Bamban River located in Barangay Lourdes of the said town were planted with Chinese bamboo, scientific 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢.

Esteban added that the DENR office in Tarlac has regularly conducted cleanup activities, in collaboration with partner agencies and the 40 estero rangers deployed in the area who collected an average of about 14,500 kilos of waste daily.

Meanwhile, , DENR CL Executive Director Paquito Moreno, Jr. noted that planting bamboos is a crucial component of rehabilitating denuded forest areas. Also, facilitating rapid recovery of river easements and stabilizing river banks, particularly in Manila Bay areas in Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.

Since the Manila Bay cleanup and rehabilitation program started in 2019, the DENR here has planted more than 141,000 kilometer-stretch of river systems with 38,390 bamboos.

This year alone, over 140,000 tons of wastes have been collected from 15,000 cleanup activities conducted in Manila Bay areas in Region 3. (DENR Central Luzon)