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On April 14, 2021, 26-year-old Ana Patricia Non set up a small bamboo cart along Maginhawa Street in Quezon City. She filled it up with vegetables, rice, canned goods, and noodles and put up a sign that said: Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan; kumuha batay sa pangangailangan. (Give what you can and take what you need.)

Since then, this small gesture of generosity has sparked a movement. The community pantry has been replicated in various parts of the country, in even as far as Mindanao, feeding the poor and hungry, whose livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic.

Even the government took notice and followed Non’s lead. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in particular thought that the community pantry concept would complement their tree planting and food security advocacies. “DENR-NCR (National Capital Region) has been providing free seedlings upon request,” recalled DENR-NCR Executive Director Jacqueline Caancan. “We saw how the community pantry can help us reach out to more people. So, we coined the project title, “Community PanTREE”.

Also based on Non’s original tagline is the DENR’s Magtanim ayon sa kakayahan; umani ayon sa pangangailangan (Plant what you can; harvest what you need). The project, launched on Earth Day in April, also espouses the bayanihan spirit. While encouraging community members to take free seeds and seedlings, they can also donate their own spare seeds and planting materials. Like its inspiration, the Community PanTREE reaped its own success, and was replicated by other local governments and organizations.

 

 

Community PanTREE on a Roll

On its first day, the Community PanTree at the DENR office in North Avenue, Quezon City was already well-attended. “When we started, we organized the lines to follow health protocols. We were able to distribute around 5,000 seedlings on our first two days. The assorted seedlings were indigenous species of fruit-bearing trees like calamansi, avocado and sampaloc. We also included vegetables,” said Caancan. The vegetables were a product of DENR’s partnership with the Bureau of Plant Industry, which provided the seeds. The DENR propagated the seeds and distributed the produce to communities.

Because the Community PanTREE’s schedule changes weekly, Caancan recommends that people follow their FB page for more details. To accommodate more beneficiaries, DENR also provides schools and local government units with seedlings for their own panTREEs. Even tree-planting groups can request for seedlings from the DENR.

 

Making it Mobile

Last June 25, Arbor Day was celebrated in the country. According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) website, Arbor Day calls for the “active participation of all government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, private sector, schools, civil society groups and the citizenry in tree planting activity.”

Coinciding with this observance is DENR’s launch of its “Rolling Community PanTREE”, which made its initiative mobile. “The theme last Arbor Day was Sama-samang pagkilosIkaw, ako, tayo ang kalikasan (Collective action—you, I, we are nature). This means we are interconnected,” explained Caancan. “If we care for nature, we care for our health. We must be the one to save nature. With our collective effort, we could save our environment and protect it for future generations.”

The Rolling Community PanTree was first launched in Barangay 163 in Caloocan City. Its community is active in the rehabilitation of the Tullahan-Tinaheros River system, which spans La Mesa Water Reservoir to Manila Bay.

To date, the Rolling Community Pan-Tree have been launched in these areas:

 

Benefits of Tree Planting

The main goal of DENR’s initiative is to equip people with food sources amidst quarantine measures in NCR Plus. But as Caancan stressed, urban gardening has other benefits. “It’s a stress reliever. When we’re confined to our homes, we tend to look for something worthwhile to do. Gardening already has value, but it also gives us joy.” 

In the bigger picture of climate change mitigation, Caancan believes that urban gardening plays an important role. “Trees have the capacity to absorb heat, so we need to preserve them in our surroundings. In fact, here’s a good example: what’s the first thing you look for when you’re parking your car in an open space? A tree, right? So, we want people to realize that for every tree that they plant, they invest in the future. It is a nature-based solution that will help restore our environment. Trees and plants are essential to life, and we are interconnected.”

Still, planting needs preparation. Caancan reminded plantito and plantita wannabes that specific plants need certain soil types. Planting involves not only burying the seeds; a huge part of it requires maintenance. “To ensure that our planted trees will survive and thrive, their species should be appropriate to the planting site. There are trees that will not thrive in Metro Manila. You need information.”

 

 

The Challenge of Urban Greening

Part of DENR’s urban greening initiatives is planting brightly colored flowers along the road, providing commuters and motorists a visual respite. Before this is done, DENR makes sure that the flower species can thrive in the city. Some of these include:

 

 

“Before every planting activity, our technical staff studies the site. They make a proposal on tree planting activities and materials, which we provide,” Caancan said.

But is rapid development balanced with environmental care? Caancan said that for every tree cut down, developers are required to plant fifty indigenous trees in its place. “Big developers need to secure an Environment Compliance Certificate, which identifies their projects’ environmental impacts. As much as possible, we encourage them to incorporate existing trees into the development. If not, they are required to have greening components. But it’s good that there’s awareness now among the public. If a company cuts down too many trees, it will be bashed in social media. Developers are aware of the public’s environmental consciousness, so they adhere to regulations.”

Still, city-dwellers are encouraged to do their own urban greening in their homes. “Space is a challenge, but we have rock beds which we can put in pots. We can place these in the corners of our homes. You can use your small spaces in your bakuran. Our own small way of greening our spaces can go long way. We all need nature because we, ourselves, are nature,” ended Caancan. 

Watch the full interview here.