19IB: At war against global warming

By JEROME CATORCE, 19IB PA
April 16, 2016

SAN MIGUEL, Leyte – The military reservation in Brgy. Santol here will soon be filled with trees as soldiers of the 19th Infantry Battalion frequent the area for its tree planting activities.

On Tuesday, April 12, a team of soldiers led by Staff Sergeant Christopher Cabadsan planted around 200 acacia seedlings in a vacant section of the 175 hectare-reservation.

This venture by the 19th Infantry Battalion is a call for everyone to do their share in environmental protection.

“Planting more trees so far is the best practice in mitigating the impact of global warming”, Lt. Col. Roberto Sarmiento, the Commanding Officer said.

Accordingly, each soldier is required to plant at least 10 trees every year in compliance with Philippine Army's commitment to the National Greening Program (NGP).

19th Infantry Battalion records show that around 10,000 seedlings were planted in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in the coastal and timberland areas of Ormoc City, Carigara, Babatngon, Palo, and Kananga all in the province of Leyte last year.

For this year, the 19th Infantry Battalion aims to launch a total of 22 tree planting events in its area of responsibility which covers the entire province of Biliran and the northern part of Leyte province, including the cities of Ormoc and Tacloban.