Upland Forest Rehabilitation Project

It is almost a year since Typhoon Haiyan hit the central part of the Philippines but the Filipinos who have experienced the wrath of the disaster are still having difficulty to recover. This is manifested on the daily struggles of Rogelio Bayot (43) and a resident of Sitio Casamata, Barangay Central in Ajuy, Iloilo.

Rogelio, a construction worker with a minimum wage of 200 Philippine pesos or 5 USD daily is the sole breadwinner of a family with six members. With no stable and permanent source of income, Rogelio and his family are struggling just to make ends meet.

Since Rogelio`s community was one of the areas devastated by the typhoon, several relief operations were done by different NGO`s, government and private individuals. However, few months after the disaster, Rogelio and his neighbors were left hanging because the aids that they have received are only temporary.

Unlike the other organizations, other than instant noodles and canned goods, OISCA also distributed seedlings among the local typhoon victims. Knowing that the local residents of Ajuy are susceptible to strong typhoons, encouraging them to plant local species of trees that are wind resistant and fruit bearing trees will have a long term impact, encourage resilience among the disaster victims and will help in the immediate recovery of the damaged forest.

To help in their recovery, an ample amount of money is given to Rogelio and to the other locals who are involved in the project. A written agreement was signed among the locals and project stakeholders to guarantee that the income from the soon to be harvested fruits will be equally divided among the signatories.

Rogelio and his neighbors have planted a total of 6,680 seedlings. Prior to the tree planting activities, the locals have to undergo the laborious work of clearing and removing the broken branches of trees which were damaged by the typhoon. So far, because of the active involvement of the locals in terms of maintaining the project, the survival rate of the planted seedlings is 90%.

In preparation for the tree planting activities next year, the locals will be subcontracted for the construction of nursery which will be needed for growing of seedlings. 

On the 27th of May, a total of more than 20 victims of Typhoon Yolanda  were organized for the tree planting activities at the foot of the devastated forest in Ajuy, Iloilo. In collaboration with the local government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the residents of affected communities, the Upland Forest Rehabilitation Project is already helping in the gradual recovery of the struggling victims as they are provided with jobs in the forest related activities. 

Prior to the actual project implementation, with the assistance of the local government, OISCA adopted the participatory approach through community organizing to be able to involve the disaster victims in terms of identifying and finding solutions to the problem. 

“I saw how our forest protected us from the impact of the typhoon. However, now that most of the trees are uprooted, I am worried that what if another much stronger typhoon will come, what will be our natural shield”, was the question raised by Jose Siazon (47 years old) during the community organizing. It was then decided during the meeting that local species of trees that are wind resistant and fruit bearing trees will be planted.

Because of the absence of rain, the locals including the school children initially planted 300 saplings of guava or Psidium guajava, lansones or Lansium domesticum and durian or Durio zibethinus. To ensure the survival of the planted seedlings, the locals are watering the planted seedlings. When the rain comes, another 6,000 saplings of local species of seedlings and fruit bearing trees are to be planted by the locals.