CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources - National Capital Region on Tuesday forged an agreement with the Vista Real Classica Homeowners Association in Quezon City for the establishment and maintenance of an urban greening site inside the Vista Real’s property.

The MOA was signed Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan, Conservation and Development Division (CDD) Chief and concurrent Chief Environmental Officer for the East Field Office (EFO), Forester Aida E. Esguerra for the regional office.

Signing on behalf of the homeowners association is their president, Mr. Benjamin V. Gochangco. Also present to witness the event is Quezon City District 2 Representative Prescious Hipolito-Castelo and City Councilor Winston “Winnie” Castelo.

Under the agreement, the MOA will pave the way for the establishment of a National Greening Program (NGP) site inside the subdivision, with the homeowners association taking the responsibility of maintaining the site with assistance from the regional office.

“Partnerships between the government and private sector on the planning and implementation of the plans, programs, and activities is part of the good governance agenda of [Environment] Secretary Roy A. Cimatu,” Caancan said.

“The MOA we’ve just signed with the Vista Real HOA is one of the many partnership agreements we have consciously pursued in the regional office over the years, in keeping with the directives of the Secretary to strengthen involvement of the citizenry in the protection and conservation of our environment and natural resources,” she added.

Established under Executive Order Nos. 23 and 26, s. 2011, the NGP originally aimed to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of lands of the public domain for a period of six (6) years, from CY 2011 to CY 2016.

In 2015, Executive Order No. 193 was issued expanding the coverage of the NGP and its implementation period from 2016 to 2028.

According to Caancan, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu vowed to rehabilitate 1.2 million hectares of denuded forests by 2022.

“We at DENR National Capital Region, despite the challenges presented to us here in Metro Manila, intend to contribute and honor this commitment as we know how vital reforestation is in achieving carbon neutrality, enhancing our food security and strengthening environmental integrity,” Caancan said. (DENR NCR/PIA-NCR)