BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Governors, congressmen, mayors, and 18 agencies of the national government, and various people’s organizations (POs) including the media incorporated all their ideas and resources Wednesday for unified massive greening activities, with the objective of helping mitigate the effects of global warming and climate change in preparation for the welfare of the future generation.

The stakeholders also prepared a road map that is expected to improve and strengthen the National Greening Program (NGP) from 2012 up to 2016.

The stakeholders pledged their commitment for a continuing tree planting activity, and also created the regional Advocacy, Communication, and Social Mobilization (ACSM) Task Force in an effort to effectively sustain the “greening” program all through the years.

The main target of the newly formalized work force of the region’s governing body is the full mobilization of planting trees in all denuded, degraded, idle, and uncultivated lands, and all watershed areas in the stakeholders’ respective areas of jurisdiction throughout the Caraga Region.

The workshop was conducted during the Regional National Greening Program (NGP) Summit at a resort hotel and convention center here, where officials and technical personnel not only from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) but also from the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños were present.

“Our main purpose here is not only to plant today but all through the years, and I’m glad of the all-out support poured in by the local officials, various line agencies of the government, POs, non-government organizations (NGOs), and media,” said DENR Region-13 Director Leonardo R. Sibbaluca.