ILOILO CITY — Some Western Visayas public schools have contributed an estimated 20,285 native trees to the Project DepEd 236,000 Trees-A Christmas Gift for Children tree-planting activity held simultaneously nationwide on Wednesday.

Hernani Escullar Jr., information officer of the Department of Education in Western Visayas, said each of the 4,057 public schools in the region planted at least five seedlings within their school or any suitable area.

These schools used only local, native, or fruit-bearing trees in coordination with the offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.