San Juan, Batangas - DENR CENRO Lipa City, spearheaded by OIC-CENR Officer Allan WiIlard M. Estillore and the staff and personnel of Conservation and Development Section (CDS) participated in the launching of Mangrove Planting Activity in Brgy. Laiya Aplaya, San Juan, Batangas which is a joint initiative of estate developers Landco Pacific Corporation and Playa Laiya Corporation, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The activity kicked-off a week-long mangrove planting in Laiya River that was attended by 28 participants from the two private entities, Local Government Unit (LGU) of San Juan and Brgy, Laiya Aplaya, DENR CENRO Lipa and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) which was held last September 28, 2021. 

In his message during the opening program, CENRO Estillore expressed appreciation to the Local Government of San Juan, the local community and to the different private entities such as the Landco and Playa Laiya Corporation for coming up with timely environmental initiatives which are aligned to and in support of the program and campaign of the DENR to conserve and protect the environment and its natural resources. The participants were also briefed on the importance of mangrove forest to the coastal ecosystems, providing habitat to various species, stabilizing the shoreline, preventing erosion and protecting coastal communities from disaster due to strong waves and storm surge. Moreover, MENRO Noelito Pasco of San Juan demonstrated the proper planting of mangroves. 

A total of 250 mangrove species of Busain (Brugeria cylindrica) were planted along the estuary of Laiya River as part of the corporations’ Mangrove Restoration Project, which is aimed to plant 3, 000 mangrove species for five days from September 28 to October 2, 2021. 

Afterwards, a meeting transpired between Playa Laiya Corporation through its Vice President, Mr. Neil Siy and CENRO Lipa to explore the possibility of forging a partnership through a memorandum of agreement for the adoption of the said mangrove area to ensure that the project will be sustainable, as well as other forest area in the upland portion of San Juan, Batangas. The parties also discussed the resumption of the joint titling activity of CENRO Lipa and Playa Laiya Corporation that will cover the parcels of residential lot donated by the entity within the resettlement area in the barangay which was established for the benefit of the relocated residents who were affected by the development being undertaken in the properties of Playa Laiya. ###

Details
Parent Category: News & Events
Category: Regional Releases
Published: 06 October 2021