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Pursuant to Sec. 2.6 of Executive Order (EO) No. 23 and EO 26, both series of 2011, mandating the DA-DAR-DENR Convergence Initiative to develop a National Greening Program in coordination with DepEd, CHED, DSWD, DBM, private sector and other concerned agencies and institutions; and declaring the implementation of the National Greening Program as a government priority; respectively, and in order to provide guidance for DENR and NGP partners-implementers and participants through a common framework and understanding on the mechanics of implementation, the following guidelines and procedures are hereby issued:

Section 1. Objectives. The National Greening Program (MGP) shall aim to:

1. Contribute in reducing poverty among upland and lowland poor households, indigenous peoples, and in coastal and urban areas;
   
   
2. Implement sustainable management of natural resources through resource conservation, protection, and productivity enhancement;
   
   
3. Provide food, goods and services such as timber, fiber, non-timber forest products, aesthetic values, air enhancement values, water regulation values, and mitigate climate change by expanding forest cover that serve as carbon sink;
   
   
4. Promote public awareness as well as instill social and environmental consciousness on the value of forests and watersheds;
   
   
5. Enhance the formation of positive values among the youth and other partners through shared responsibilities in sustainable management of tree plantations and forest resources; and
   
   
6. Consolidate and harmonize all greening efforts of the government, civil society and the private sector.

Section 2. Scope and Coverage. The NGP shall plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of lands of the public domain for a period of six (6) years from CY 2011 to CY 2016.

 

2.1	Areas for Development. The following areas shall be eligible for development under the program:
	2.1.1	Forestlands
	2.1.2	Mangrove areas and protected areas
	2.1.3	Ancestral domains
	2.1.4	Civil and military reservations
	2.1.5	Urban areas identified by the LGUs such as urban parks and open spaces, highways and road-sides, church, schools and office compounds
	2.1.6	Inactive and abandoned mine sites
	2.1.7	Riverbanks, stream banks and other suitable public lands.
2.2	Development components. The NGP shall have the following components to develop these areas:
	2.2.1	Production of planting materials for forest trees and fruit tree species and bamboo in nurseries and other appropriate sites by DA, DAR, DENR, DepEd, CHED, DOJ, DND, LGUs, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and other government agencies and instrumentalities, private sector, and communities;
	2.2.2	Development of upland farms through agroforestry and rainforestation;
	2.2.3	Reforestation of grasslands/brushlands and rehabilitation of coastal and mangrove areas in community-managed forestlands, consistent with their respective management plans;
	2.2.4	Rehabilitation of degraded areas in priority watersheds and protected areas;
	2.2.5	Rehabilitation of rivers and stream banks and other suitable areas using bamboos;
	2.2.6	Development of tree/forest parks and greenbelts in suitable sites in urban areas such as churches, schools, offices, military camps, highways and road-sides, and open spaces; and
	2.2.7	Maintenance and protection of planted trees and established plantations by partner implementers.
2.3	Targets for development. Annual targets for development under the NGP shall be set to achieve the total target of 1.5 million hectares in six (6) years. For CY 2011, the DENR shall develop an initial 100,000 hectares under the NGP, broken down as follows:
	2.3.1	60,000 hectares (ha) within community-managed forestlands, including mangrove and coastal areas
	2.3.2	20,000 ha within protected areas
	2.3.3	10,000 ha in ancestral domain areas
	2.3.4	10,000 ha in other areas

Additional areas may be allocated for tree planting activities by the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders.

Section 3. Nursery Operations. Whenever applicable, forest tree seed and seedling production, collection and disposition shall be governed by DAO 2010-11, and shall be implemented in complementation with the establishment/expansion or rehabilitation of clonal nurseries and facilities.

 

3.1	Pursuant to EO 26, DA-DAR-DENR under the National Convergence Initiative, DepEd, CHED, LGUs, DND, DOJ, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and other government agencies and instrumentalities, private sector, and communities shall be responsible for seed and seedling production and establishment of nurseries for the NGP, among others. DENR shall be principally responsible for the production of forest tree species and provision of technical assistance in nursery operations. The production of seedlings of fruit trees and other crops for agroforestry shall be the primary concern of DA and DAR. However, DENR may also engage in the production of seeds and seedlings of fruit trees.
3.2	The DENR field offices shall organize seed collection teams. Collected seeds shall be turned over to the ERDS for quality control, storage and propagation/distribution.
3.3	As far as practicable and to ensure high survival rate, seedlings shall be produced at or near the planting sites in coordination with the LGUs and communities concerned.
3.4	The DENR field offices, in coordination with DA, DAR, and the LGUs and communities concerned, among others, shall determine the number and type/species of seedlings to be produced in their respective localities and jurisdictions.
3.5	Whenever necessary and appropriate, the DENR field offices particularly the PENROs and CENROs may enter into contracts/agreements for the use of vacant and private lots for seedling production and nursery operations in consideration of the future requirements of NGP for planting materials, at no cost to the government.
3.6	Whenever necessary, the DENR field offices may hire additional personnel to oversee seedling production and nursery operations, and plantation establishment.
3.7	Seedlings may also be procured from accredited nurseries and other sources subject to strict adherence with procurement and other applicable laws, rules and regulations and prescribed/market prices and unit costs.
3.8	For CY 2011, DENR shall produce or procure 50 million seedlings of premium, indigenous, fast-growing, and other forest species and fruit trees including bamboo in its clonal facilities and other nurseries, and from accredited nurseries and other sources including those managed by communities and schools, broken down as follows:
	3.8.1	Five (5) million seedlings of dipterocarps, narra, and other premium and indigenous forest tree species
	3.8.2	25 million seedlings of mahogany, gmelina, bagras, acacia spp., rubber, fast- growing and other production/protection forest tree species including bamboo, urban, and mangrove species
	3.8.3	20 million seedlings of mango, coffee, cacao, cashew, guyabano, and other fruit trees.

Section 4. Site Selection. The DENR field offices shall consider the following criteria in identifying and selecting areas and sites for planting and plantation development under the NGP:

 

4.1	Community-managed forest lands
	4.1.1	Covered by tenure instrument/agreement such as CBFMA and PACBRMA;
	4.1.2.	Availability of areas for agroforestry/rainforestation, reforestation, and mangrove/coastal/riverbanks/stream banks-rehabilitation per affirmed management plans;
	4.1.3	Accessibility of identified areas/sites to planters and markets; and
	4.1.4	Active registration status of POs concerned with relevant government organizations such as SEC and CDA; otherwise, DENR shall assist POs in acquiring the necessary accreditations.
4.2	Areas identified by LGUs such as urban parks, open spaces, school sites, roadsides, rivers and stream banks and other suitable areas, among others, consistent with their respective greening plans.
4.3	Identification and selection of areas and sites shall be up to barangay level for consideration of DSWD in the grant of incentives to qualified NGP beneficiaries under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program.

Section 5. Site Development. The DENR field offices shall be responsible for the preparation of the selected sites for planting and plantation establishment.

 

5.1	The DENR field offices, in coordination with DA, DAR, DepEd/CHED, DILG, DND, DOJ, DOST, DOTC, DPWH, DSWD, GOCCs, LGUs, and SUCs, private sector and civil society shall conduct massive IEC campaign and mobilize and organize communities in the preparation of sites for planting. The DENR field offices shall be primarily responsible for site preparation activities such as staking, brushing and digging of holes and may access the support of POs and civil society groups, among others.
5.2	The determination of spacing shall be guided by the species, objective/s of the plantation to be established, and site characteristics, among others. Seedlings of forest trees such as mahogany, bagras and acacia spp. may be planted with a spacing of 2m x 3m, 3m x 3m, or 3m x 4m while spacing for fruit tree seedlings may range from 5m x 5m to 10m x 10m depending on the species.
5.3	Premium and indigenous tree species shall be planted primarily to rehabilitate or restore degraded forestlands and protected areas/zones while fast-growing and production/protection forest tree species and fruit trees shall be planted in agroforestry and production areas and multiple use zones.
5.4	Planting shall be done by government employees, students, private sector, and civil society groups, under close supervision by DA, DAR, DENR, and LGUs concerned to ensure higher survival of seedlings.
5.5	In general, planting shall be from July to December following the respective climatic types, planting calendars of forest and fruit tree species, and prevailing and forecasted weather conditions by PAGASA, for higher survival of the planted seedlings.

Section 6. Maintenance and protection. With appropriate assistance from DA, DAR, DENR, DSWD, LGUs and other government agencies and instrumentalities, and the private sector, the members of POs concerned shall be primarily responsible for the maintenance and protection of the established plantations.

Section 7. Strategies. In order to ensure the successful implementation of the NGP, the following strategies shall be adopted:

 

7.1	Social Mobilization
	7.1.1	DepEd and CHED shall include in their educational programs the participation of all identified students in the NGP and planting of a minimum of 10 seedlings/ student/year in identified and selected planting areas/sites by DA, DAR and DENR.
	7.1.2	All government employees shall be individually required to plant a minimum of 10 seedlings/year in the same areas determined by the Convergence Initiative.
	7.1.3	Private sectors and civil society groups shall likewise be encouraged to participate in the NGP.
	7.1.4	The POs shall be given the primary responsibility of site preparation and maintenance and protection of the established plantations. The DENR field offices shall take the lead in providing technical assistance and conduct of appropriate interventions to enhance the capacities of the POs concerned to undertake these activities.
7.2	Harmonization of Initiatives
	7.2.1	All three planting initiatives such as the Upland Development Program, Luntiang Pilipinas, and similar greening activities of the government, private sector, LGUs and the civil society shall be harmonized under the NGP.
	7.2.2	All government institutions particularly DA, DAR, DENR, CHED and DepEd shall produce appropriate quality seedlings annually for the NGP. Technical assistance shall be provided by DA, DENR, DAR under the Convergence Initiative.
7.3	Provision of Incentives
	7.3.1	All proceeds from agroforestry plantations, duly accounted by the DENR, shall accrue to the NGP beneficiary communities to address food security and poverty reduction.
	7.3.2	NGP beneficiary communities shall be considered priority in the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program to undertake nursery operations, site preparation, and maintenance and protection of established plantations including replanting.
	7.3.3	Appropriate incentives shall be developed by the Convergence Initiative to encourage rainforestation, particularly in protected areas.
7.4	Monitoring and Management of Database
	7.4.1	DA, DAR, and DENR shall develop a centralized database and provide regular monitoring and timely report on the progress of the NGP.
	7.4.2	The Convergence Initiative shall engage the private sector, civil society and the academe in the monitoring and evaluation of the NGP.

Section 8. Organization and Implementation Mechanism. The assignment of responsibilities in the implementation of the NGP shall be as follows:

 

8.1	The implementation of the NGP shall be the primary responsibility of the Field Operations Office including all DENR field offices under the Undersecretary for Field Operations. The Undersecretary concerned shall supervise the implementation of all program activities and ensure the attainment of goals and objectives of NGP.
8.2	The Planning and Policy Office under the Undersecretary for Planning and Policy shall take the lead in the monitoring and assessment of the performance of the NGP.
8.3	The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Special Projects shall be responsible for coordination with DA, DAR, DepEd, CHED, DSWD, and other partner agencies and stakeholders identified under EO 26 concerning their respective commitments on NGP.
8.4	The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Finance shall be responsible for allocating and providing funds and other requirements necessary for implementation of NGP activities.
8.5	FMB shall be responsible for providing technical support to NGP implementation.
8.6	PAWB shall be responsible for providing technical assistance for protected areas.
8.7	ERDB shall be responsible for overseeing the production and procurement of seedlings and quality planting material requirements of the program including the establishment of clonal facilities and network of nurseries.
8.8.	PAO shall be responsible for the development of a massive IEC program for NGP to enhance awareness and for social mobilization and sustainability of the NGP, in coordination with U.P. Los Baños on IEC and social mobilization.
8.9	These DENR offices and bureaus and all DENR field offices may establish appropriate implementing and support mechanisms in their respective offices for the implementation of the NGP.
8.10	Other DENR bureaus and offices as well as the attached agencies shall support the implementation of the program.

Section 9. Program Management and Supervision. The DENR Executive Com- mittee headed by the Secretary shall be responsible for the overall management and supervision of the implementation of the NGP.

Section 10. Registry of reforestation/agroforestry projects. Consistent with the Manual on New Government Accounting System (NGAS), a Registry of reforestation/ agroforestry projects shall be maintained for each NGP site. The Regional Offices shall consolidate and submit the Registry to FMB.

Section 11. References. DENR offices and partner agencies and stakeholders may consult technical references and information materials such as the ERDB-DENR Guidebook on Development and Management of Forest Plantations (2010 Edition), DENR Greenbook 1-3, and DAO 2010-11 in the implementation of the NGP particularly in seedling production and nursery operations, site preparation and plantation development, and maintenance and protection of established plantations.

Section 12. Funding. The Department shall allocate funds to support the implementation of the NGP.

Section 13. Repealing Clause. This Circular shall supersede other issuances that are inconsistent herewith.

Section 14. Effectivity. This Circular shall take effect upon publication in a newspaper of national circulation and submission of copy to the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR).

Adopted: 08 March 2011


(SGD.) RAMON J.P. PAJE
Acting Secretary