COTABATO CITY (December 18, 2019) – 400 former members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front, now Palaw Rangers, participate in the capacity training of MENRE-BARMM for tree planters and forest rangers in preparation for the Integrated Bangsamoro Greening Program (IBGP).

The P300-million IBGP targets to plant trees in 6600 hectares of land in Maguindanao initially. A flagship program of BARMM, the greening program will aim to implement a massive seedling production as well in the entire region.

“Since we lived in the forest before and part of our duty then was to protect the environment, this program will take us back again to the forest to protect it,” MENRE Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua told the press on the day these ex-rebels signed a contract of service as palaw rangers.

PENRE Officer of Maguindanao, Forester Doming D. Dagadas, led today’s Orientation Course on IBGP for Palaw Rangers of Maguindanao Cluster and discussed what the program is all about and the components of the project.

“Palaw Rangers will be given livelihood opportunities and a chance to be a part of the successful implementation of IBGP,” Dagadas said.

Forester Dagadas is joined by CENREOs Forester Miling S. Pagayao of Maguindanao 1st District and Engr. Mohalidin Kasid of Maguindanao 2nd District in administering the mentioned capacity training.

The Orientation Course Cum Workshop on IBGP is currently being held at EM Manor Hall, Cotabato City and will cater 400 participants in three batches on December 18, 19 and 24, 2019. BARMM and MENRE launched IBGP last November 23, 2019. This initiative sets it sight on reforesting 10,000 hectares of open and denuded forests in the Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces.