AFoCO Secretariat, Energy Development Corporation (EDC) , and the Forest Management Bureau (FMB) gathered online to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project titled: Forest Restoration Using Philippine Threatened and Endemic Tree Species (PTES) in Bacon-Manito Geothermal Reservation in Support to the Philippines' Forestry Sector's National Greening Program (AFoCO/040/2023). The project primarily aims to increase natural forest area and mainstream Philippines threatened and endemic tree species in Bacman Sorsogon and Albay. The project will be implemented in cooperation with the Energy Development Corporation of the Philippines, where the project will restore 100 hectares of disturbed forest with 20 different species of highly threatened and endemic trees in support to the Philippine forestry sector's National Greening Program.
During the signing ceremony, both sides welcomed each other and exchanged gratitude for facilitating and making best efforts to finalize the MoU and officially start the project.
As the project was developed in close cooperation between the Forest Management Bureau and the Energy Development Corporations, which is a private company, the project will serve as a good opportunity to institutionalize the learnings and success stories of private-public partnership through a policy proposal for government appreciation and consideration. Other objectives of the project includes establishing 2 hectares arboretum within the forest restoration area and to document good practices and propagation protocols using PTES in forest restoration.
The Project Inception Meeting (PIM) and the 1st Project Steering Committee (PSC) will soon be organized for this project.
