Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 26)
The main purpose of Executive Order No. 26 is to declare the implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP) as a government priority aimed at poverty reduction, resource conservation, productivity enhancement, climate change mitigation, and adaptation.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is designated as the lead agency for the National Greening Program.
The NGP aims to plant approximately 1.5 billion trees covering about 1.5 million hectares for six years (2011 to 2016) on public lands including forestlands, mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domains, civil and military reservations, urban areas under LGUs greening plans, inactive and abandoned mine sites, and other suitable lands.
Key strategies include social mobilization (requiring students and government employees to plant seedlings), harmonization of tree planting initiatives, provision of incentives to beneficiary communities, and establishing monitoring and centralized database management.
People's Organizations (POs), with government and private sector assistance, are given the primary responsibility of maintaining and protecting the established plantations.
DepEd and CHED are responsible for student mobilization, nursery establishment, seedling production, tree planting, information dissemination, extension services, and monitoring and evaluation related to the NGP.
Proceeds from agroforestry plantations accrue to NGP beneficiaries for food security and poverty reduction; beneficiaries receive priority in the Conditional Cash Transfer Program; and incentives are developed to encourage rainforestation especially in protected areas.
Funding for the current year is provided by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and future funding is incorporated in the regular appropriations of the participating agencies.
Agencies involved include the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), DepEd, CHED, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), DBM, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), LGUs, Department of Health (DOH), DPWH, DOTC, Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Justice (DOJ), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), TESDA, and PAGCOR among others.
The DA, DAR, and DENR are mandated to develop a centralized database for regular monitoring and timely reporting; the Convergence Initiative engages private sector, civil society, and academe in monitoring and evaluation efforts.