ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines (PIA) -- The government’s national greening program (NGP) aims not just to reforest but to alleviate poverty in communities where trees are planted.

Environment and Natural Resources 6 Regional Executive Director Julian Amador said during a media interview here that “site-species matching” is done for the tree planting so that people in communities, including conditional cash grantees, can also benefit from sustainable livelihood activities.

For instance, he said, “we have identified some fruit-bearing trees to be planted in many production areas, as well as those for lumber, from which people in communities can earn income as they help take care of the seedlings planted.”

In relation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje said in a Communication and News Exchange (CNEx) forum recently that the government does not want only to “plant and conserve trees,” but also aims to address poverty and food security through the NGP.