Feature: Barangay Punta Taytay Throws 10-Hectare Mangrove Planting Bash
Watching residents and other participants of Barangay Punta Taytay while planting mangrove seedlings early Saturday morning eastside extension of their
30 hectare mangrove forest, stimulates the mind to a reflection of life – while modern men and women disregarded their very survival by wantonly consuming more and more, every mangrove tree seedling planted restores it!
An empowered resident of Barangay Punta Taytay begins planting earlier last
Saturday.*
What the 30-hectare Punta Taytay mangrove forest restored and another additional 10 hectare-extension initiated last Saturday were all worshipful sacrifices.
This photo clearly shows the extension of the existing 30-hectare Punta
Taytay mangrove forest to another 10-hectares. Some residents joined the initial
planting last Saturday.*
Participants were the Negros Press Club, Punta Taytay’s people’s organizations, environment groups, marine-life dependent residents, young people of the Church of the Latter Day Saints of Jesus (Mormons) and the de Molays – all celebrated life by planting countless mangrove seedlings, "to subdue the earth and rule over every creature" - to complete a portion of the Bacolod marine ecosystem.
Amazingly, mangrove forests have been scientifically shown to sustain more than 70 direct human activities, ranging from fuel-wood collection to fisheries. It should not be a surprise that Punta Taytay’s Viewing Deck with a chain of restaurants catered sea foods abundantly to almost a hundred mangrove seedling planters at such low, low price. Punta Taytay’s barangay captain Rufino Alcala built 20 Viewing Deck stalls profiting from the clean sea, its productivity more than doubled because of the existence of a 30-hectare mangrove forest sustaining life for survival, business and leisure.
Two days ago, Kapi-tan Alcala met with sea shell harvesters fearing that the rock sanctuary of their produce could be disturbed by the mangroves to be plan-ted initially stretching two hectares of their area. Their fear was assuaged after it was explained that the present number of rocks will protrude upward together with the growing mangroves, thus giving more spaces for shells to breed, a proof of what nature can do if healed.
Various species of mangroves stems and roots arched out of the sea soil which filters the water, collects mud and dregs. Eventually, tides are controlled entrenching the solid portion of the coast in the most natural way and likewise preventing erosion that would be habitats of living creatures.
As planned, the 30 hectare Punta Taytay mangrove forest is now ready for structures to be built similar to that of the Balaring Mangrove forest in Silay, a haven for the weary wanderer. Last Saturday, various groups, among them the Negros Press Club led by president Arman Toga initiated planting two hectares of the 10-hectare extension.
The "subjugation" of the earth through the development of mangrove forests is meant for mankind to enjoy. Already, families are beginning to flock the clean shorelines of Punta Taytay.
Its residents headed by Kapitan Alcala hel-ped in policing the cleanliness of its beach-es which was once contaminated with human discharges.
The atmosphere among the mangrove seedling planters was fiesta like and the activity was worth the sacrifice and a celebration for the next generation to be thankful.* (J G. Toga photo)
