The Diocese of Bacolod has partnered with the provincial government of Negros Occidental for a tree-growing project that will be carried out by students from various schools in the province.
The partnership was formalized in a memorandum of agreement signed by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bishop Patricio Buzon at the Capitol Social Hall on Thursday, August 11.
Lacson said the signing of the partnership agreement is a welcome development for the environmental initiatives of the province.
“It is our commitment to strengthen sustainable development, empower communities, protect forests, and increase ecological awareness,” said the governor.
“The concern of our environment is a problem of global proportion but reducing its adverse impacts must be done locally,” he added.
Lacson thanked Bishop Buzon for his response to Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato si’, On the Care of Our Common Home”.
The diocese’s Social Action Center, together with “Panggas,” a multi-sectoral alliance of church, schools, governmental agencies, and sectoral organizations on environmental concerns, has identified various schools as participants in the tree-growing project.
The agreement provides that the Diocese of Bacolod will designate a point person and provide technical assistance for the program’s implementation.
It will also assist the Provincial Environment Management Office in the institutionalization of the program and will assist the office in carrying out information, education, and communication initiatives.
