Guv prioritizes watershed protection
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. has allocated P1 million for the Iloilo Watershed Management Council in the 2010 budget, a Capitol press release said.
Defensor said the funding will be used for the IWMC’s various projects on the watershed protection.
Jessica Salas, vice chair of IWMC Technical Working Group, welcomed the development saying it will be a big help in sustaining their programs and projects.
IWMC held its first ever meeting with Defensor last Thursday.
Defensor said he fully supports the programs and projects of the IWMC which he helped organize during his first tenure as governor.
Watershed protection and reforestation were the centerpiece of the Defensor administration then.
He also established the institutionalization of the “Pyesta sa Kakahuyan” which mandated the preservation of the Maasin Watershed through yearly tree planting activities.
“We have to go back to where we started,” Defensor said referring to the massive reforestation program he implemented during the time he first served as governor.
“I urge you to be part of our new thrust which is the immediate tree planting program in our watersheds,” he said.
Defensor said the provincial government is preparing to hold massive tree planting activities starting this month.
“We have to make our people realize that we are serious in our endeavors towards environmental protection,” the governor said.
