ILOILO – Around 1,500 mangrove seedlings were planted by the Regional Finance Service Office (RFSO) of the Police Regional Office 6 at the Leganes Integrated Katunggan Ecopark (LIKE) in Barangay Nabitasan, Leganes town on Friday morning.
RFSO-6 chief, Police Colonel Rommel C. Estolano, spearheaded the planting to protect the environment and encourage the public to do the same.
“Ginagawa natin ito to encourage all walks of life to join in this crusade kasi alam naman natin na if we protect Mother Earth ibabalik din sa atin ‘yan. So, we have to nurture Mother Earth,” Estolano told Panay News.
He also shared that during the onslaught of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” in November 2013, his home in Region 8, or Eastern Visayas, was one of the hardest hit by a storm surge.
He has since valued the importance of mangroves to mitigate the impact of storm surges.
Meanwhile, to ensure the survival rate of the mangrove seedlings, Estolano said they will coordinate with the local Bantay Dagat for monitoring.
Together with the RFSO-6 during the planting activity in Leganes were its partner national government agencies such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Regional Support Units of Police Regional Office 6, Bantay Dagat, local government unit of Leganes headed by its municipal administrator David Sinay, and other stakeholders.
Aside from mangrove planting, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) was also signed to authorize the RFSO-6 in helping Leganes LGU develop LIKE.
The RFSO-6 also gave early Christmas gift packs to Bantay Dagat personnel.
“Para maramdaman din nila ang pagmamahal ng mga police natin,” said Estolano./PN
