Sustaining the future: Tree planting boosts conservation in Oriental Mindoro

At least 160 narra tree seedlings were planted during a tree-planting event on Friday, 7 March 2025, in a designated area in Sitio Agsambalilo, Brgy. Calsapa, San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) San Teodoro District Jail (BJMP-STDJ) and San Teodoro National High School organized the activity in collaboration with the Alpha Phi Omega San Teodoro Oriental Mindoro Alumni Association.

The event, dubbed “Plant a Tree Today, Save Tomorrow: A Bayanihan Reforestation Project,” aimed to reduce greenhouse gases, combat climate change, and improve the environment, according to BJMP-STDJ Community Relations Officer Jail Officer 1 Reccie Fetalco.

"The activity also focused not just on planting trees, but also on ensuring the trees grow for the benefit of future generations,” Fetalco said, stressing that the balance of nature must be maintained in protected areas, which are some of the province’s greatest resources.

Other participants in the event included the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).

BJMP MIMAROPA Information Officer Jail Officer 3 Joefrie Anglo encouraged young people to engage in environmental preservation efforts such as clean-up drives and forums to raise awareness about sustaining the environment.

“It is a shared responsibility,” Anglo said. “We all play a vital role in winning the fight against climate change."

Narra trees, the national tree of the Philippines, are currently critically endangered. These trees can grow up to 40 meters tall and live for 50 to 150 years.