MWSS to plant 1.8 M trees in watersheds through 2022

MANILA, Philippines -  The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) will plant at least 1.8 million trees in six watersheds in Luzon during the five remaining years of President Duterte’s administration.

The Annual Million Tree Challenge is a reforestation program of the MWSS, which garnered more than one million pledges in trees in its maiden year from multi-tripartite stakeholders during the project launch at Ipo Dam last June 23.

“This serves as a way to protect our six targeted watersheds – La Mesa, Ipo, Angat, Umiray, Laguna Lake and Marikina River,” said MWSS administrator Reynaldo Velasco. “But this can’t be done over five years. We are hopeful that through this noble project and the steady support of everyone particularly our three concessionaires – Maynilad, Manila Water and Bulacan Bulk Water – we will be able to protect our vital water sources, prevent flooding and mitigate other natural disasters.”

According to Velasco, the MWSS Annual Million Tree Challenge is aimed at planting a million trees in the watersheds in five years up to 2022. 

However, the MWSS received 1.8 million trees in pledges for this year’s tree-planting alone.

The Department of Education through Undersecretary Alain Pascua has thrown its full support to the MWSS Annual Million Tree Challenge.

Pascua vowed to recommend to Education Secretary Leonor Briones to actively engage public schools in primary and secondary levels to plant trees in the six watershed areas.