SAN FERNANDO CITY, Philippines — Thousands of local government employees and environmentalist groups planted 100,000 seedlings in the Pampanga's 20 municipalities and a city during the government’s province-wide tree-planting last Friday.

Vice Governor Joseller Guiao, who acted as acting governor last week, ordered the synchronized tree-planting.

Guiao earlier advised Arthur F. Punsalan, head of the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), to facilitate the simultaneous tree-planting activity, also in conjunction with Governor Lilia G. Pineda’s environmental protection program.

Guiao said the planting of seedlings supports President Benigno S. Aquino III’s National Greening Program which targets the planting of 1.5 billion trees from 2010 to 2016.

Among the seedlings planted were mahogany and fruit-bearing trees, and even some endangered species like like narra, yakal, apitong and kamagong.

In Apalit, 15,200 seedlings were planted; Arayat, 5,400; Bacolor, 1,200; Candaba, 1,000; Floridablanca, 1,200; Lubao, 8,000; Macabebe, 1,000; Magalang, 3,500; Masantol, 1,100; Mexico, 16,100; Minalin, 1,200; Porac, 19,000; San Luis, 500; San Simon, 1,570; Sta. Ana, 2,450; Sta. Rita, 10,000; Sto. Tomas, 2,200; Sasmuan, 1,000; and the City of San Fernando, 5,000.

The ENRO said the tree-planting in the towns of Guagua and Mabalacat were re-scheduled for another date and these are expected to plant an additional 20,000 more trees.

Guiao said both he and the governor are advocates of a clean and green environment. Guiao was on top of the reconstitution and reactivation of the Bamboo Development Council in Pampanga. The showcase the program, bamboo products and by-products were recently exhibited in Lubao.

Guiao also facilitated the coordination and discussion with the Mackay Green Energy Inc., for the establishment of a waste-to-energy plant in Lubao. This resulted in the recent signing of a contract between the Mackay Green Energy and the Pampanga Provincial Government and the Lubao Municipal Government for the putting up of the said plant which shall result in what Guiao described as “no pollutant, no more landfill, turbine process” which will bring manifold benefits to the province.