BONTOC, Mountain Province, Philippines - The Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC) and the provincial governments of Mountain Province and Kalinga passed separate resolutions endorsing the $20 billion Integrated Natural Resources Environmental Management Project (INREMP) covering the rehabilitation of the Chico River Basin and its watersheds located in central Cordillera as part of the uphill climb to bring back the greenery of the region's forests.
The INREMP proposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) covers four representative river basins in the different parts of the country which includes the Chico River Basin located in the region.
The multi-billion-peso environmental project will be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) with counterpart funding and resources from the national government after the National Economic Development Authority-Investment Coordinating Committee (NEDA-ICC).
The project, which is expected to be completed in seven years, will implement sustainable programs on proper land use and capability assessment, forest rehabilitation and protection, tree plantation establishment and agro-forestry, livelihood enhancement with the improvement of rural infrastructure and capacitation of participating communities, indigenous peoples' organizations and local governments.
The deteriorating condition of the environmental problems besetting the Chico River Basin and the need to adopt an integrated management approach to address such concerns prompted the RDC of the Cordillera Administrative Region (RDC-CAR) to approve a proposal to prepare a master development plan for the judicious development and management of the aforesaid watershed pursuant to its earlier advocacy for all sectors to actively participate in the bid to reforest the region's barren mountains.
Earlier, the Provincial Board of Mountain Province approved Resolution No. 2010-60 expressing the interest of the province to participate in the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Project of the agency and requested the inclusion of the towns of Natonin, Tadian, and Besao as hosts of watersheds supporting tributaries to the Chico River.
Ifugao Gov. Eugene M. Balitang and Kalinga Gov. Jocel C. Baac signified their desire to actively participate in the INREMP to boost the return of the forest cover in the denuded mountains in their respective places which is now taking its toll on the abundant water supply for the present and future generations.
