By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

Some 25,000 narra seedlings were planted in a 20-hectare National Greening Program (NGP) site in Sitio Bacao, Barangay Doña Josefa here as more than a thousand people from various government and non-government organizations, including schools joined radio broadcasters in their 2nd “Oplan BroadcasTreeing” on Saturday.

Joy Galvez-Dominado, chairperson of Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters ng Pilipinas (KBP)-Nueva Ecija Chapter, said that the group surpassed its own record of 11,000 seedling when it held the first “broadcastreeing” inside the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation’ also in this city on October 1 last year.

KBP-Nueva Ecija was hailed as No. 1 in the number of trees planted and participants that year, Dominado said.

“Last year, we won unexpected. We just only want to do something meaningful for the environment and our province,” she said.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) headed by provincial director Dr. Abraham Pascua and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)-Nueva Ecija South led by Samuel Danganan helped in making the activity a successful one, she added.

Dominado also cited the cooperation by the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office (NEPPO) led by Sr. Supt. Walter Castillejos as well as the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division.

Dominado and Pascua explained that broadcasTreeing was the legacy of the late Secretary Jessie Robredo who helped conceptualized the project with the KBP in line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s NGP.

Among the KBP members in Nueva Ecija are include radio stations 101.5 Big Sound-fm, 1188 dzXO-am, dwJJU and dwNE.

Other participants are the Rotary Club of Cabanatuan (Mother Club), Rotary Club of Cabanatuan East, Rotary Club of Peñaranda, Rotary Club of Gapan.

College of the Immaculate Concepcion High School Class ’80, Life Box Cabanatuan, Knights of Columbus Council 6000, Columbian Squires Padre Crisostomo Circle 2047, Community College of the Philippines Foundation, AIE Cabanatuan, AIE Gapan, Good Samaritan Colleges, First Asian International Systems College, Skolar Ni Kuya, the Army’s 702nd Infantry Brigade, local government of Palayan City, Sangguniang Kabataan of San Isidro; Midway Maritime Foundation, Global Kids Montessori, Tue North Builders and TLC Care Centers, among others.

Danganan, on his part, urged participants to help in fight against illegal logging as well as maintain forests.

KofC Council 6000 Grand Knight Amado Cortez said they keep on participating as well as initiating pro-environment activities because “we see them as obligation both for our country and people.”

He said they also brought with them the Squires, an organization of Catholic youth, in order to instill to their young minds the importance of such activity.

Dominado said each participant planted at least 20 seedlings.