WHEREAS, poverty reduction, resource conservation and protection, productivity enhancement, climate change mitigation and adaptation, are among the priority programs of the government;

WHEREAS, there is a need to consolidate and harmonize all greening efforts such as Upland Development Program, Luntiang Pilipinas and similar initiatives of the government, civil society and private sector under a National Greening Program;

WHEREAS, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the primary agency responsible for the conservation, management, development and proper use of the country ™s environmental and natural resources;

WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is the lead agency to boost farmers ™ income and reduce poverty in the rural sector;

WHEREAS, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is the lead agency in the implementation of agrarian reform and sustainable rural development programs;

WHEREAS, the DA, DENR, DAR pursuant to Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 series 2010 have adopted a Convergence Initiative to integrate and strengthen development framework between and among national government, local government agencies and other stakeholders, wherein complementary human, physical and financial resources are efficiently and effectively deployed;

WHEREAS, Executive OrdermNo. 23 series 2011 has mandated the DA-DAR-DENR Convergence Initiative to develop a National Greening Program in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), private sector and other concerned agencies and institutions.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order and declare the implementation of a National Greening Program (NGP) as a government priority.

Section 1. Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the State to pursue sustainable development for poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Section 2. Coverage. The National Greening Program shall plant some 1.5 Billion trees covering about 1.5 Million hectares for a period of six (6) years from 2011 to 2016, in the following lands of the public domain:

2.1 Forestlands
2.2 Mangrove and protected areas
2.3 Ancestral domains
2.4 Civil and military reservations
2.5 Urban areas under the greening plan of the LGUs
2.6 Inactive and abandoned mine sites; and
2.7 Other suitable lands

All other greening efforts of the private sector and civil society shall be harmonized under the NGP.

Section 3. Strategies. In order to ensure the successful implementation of the NGP, the following strategies shall be adopted:

3.1 Social Mobilization

3.1.1 All students, identified by the DepEd and CHED and all government employees shall be individually required to plant a minimum of ten (10) seedlings per year in areas determined by the Convergence Initiative. Private sectors and civil society groups shall likewise be encouraged to participate in the NGP.

3.1.2 With appropriate assistance from the government and the private sector, the Peoples ™ Organizations (POs) shall be given the primary responsibility of maintaining and protecting the established plantations.

3.2 Harmonization of Initiatives

3.2.1 All tree planting initiatives such as the Upland Development Program, Luntiang Pilipinas and similar activities of the government, private sector, LGUs and the civil society shall be harmonized under the NGP.

3.2.2 All government institutions, especially DA, DAR, DENR, CHED and DepEd shall produce appropriate quality seedlings annually for the NGP. Technical assistance shall be provided by DA, DENR, and DAR under the Convergence Initiative.

3.3 Provision of Incentives

3.3.1 All proceeds from agroforestry plantations, duly accounted by the DENR, shall accrue to the NGP beneficiary communities to address food security and poverty reduction.

3.3.2 NGP beneficiary communities shall be considered priority in the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program.

3.3.3 Appropriate incentives shall be developed by the Convergence Initiative to encourage rainforestation, particularly in the protected area.

3.4 Monitoring and Management of Database

3.4.1 The DA, DAR, DENR, shall develop a centralized database and provide regular monitoring and timely report on the progress of the NGP.

3.4.2 The Convergence Initiative shall engage the private sector, civil society and academe in the monitoring and evaluation of the NGP.

Section 4. Oversight Committee and Lead Agency. The members of the Steering Committee under the DA-DAR-DENR Convergence Initiative shall constitute the NGP Oversight Committee, to be chaired by the DENR. The DENR shall be the lead agency for the NGP.

Section 5. Partner Agencies/Stakeholders. The NGP shall be implemented in partnership with the following agencies/stakeholders, whose responsibilities shall include but not limited to the following:

5.1 DA-DAR-DENR

5.1.1 Nursery establishment and seedling production

5.1.2 Site identification and site preparation

5.1.3 Social mobilization

5.1.4 Tree planting

5.1.5 Monitoring and evaluation

5.1.6 Technical support and extension services

5.1.7 Provision of certified seeds of agronomic crops

5.1.8 Provision of access roads and trails to planting site

5.1.9 Provision of post harvest and processing facilities

5.1.10 Technical assistance in product development and marketing

5.2 Department   of   Education   (DepEd)/   Commission   on   Higher Education (CHED)

5.2.1 Student mobilization

5.2.2 Nursery establishment, seedling production and tree planting

5.2.3 Information, Education and Communication

5.2.4 Provision of extension services

5.2.5 Monitoring and evaluation

5.3 Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

5.3.1 Provision   of   Conditional   Cash   Transfer   to   NGP beneficiaries

5.3.2 Social mobilization

5.4 Department of Budget and Management (DBM)

5.4.1 Allocation of funds for all activities of the NGP

5.5 Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)

5.5.1 Provision of transportation, security and fire protection amenities

5.5.2 Information, Education and Communication

5.6 Local Government Units (LGUs)

5.6.1 Establishment of nurseries and production of planting materials

5.6.2 Development   of   greening    plan    for   urban    and suburban areas

5.6.3 Lead the establishment of communal tree farms for firewood and other domestic uses

5.6.4 Construction of access roads and trails to the planting sites

5.6.5 Provision of medical support

5.6.6 Technical assistance and extension of services

5.7 Department of Health (DOH)

5.7.1 Provision of transportation and medical support

5.8 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

5.8.1 Provision of transportation in the hauling of seedlings and volunteer planters

5.8.2 Assistance in the construction of access roads and trails to the planting sites

5.9 Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)

5.9.1 Provision of transport for participants

5.9.2 Provision of communication facilities

5.10 Department of National Defense (DND)

5.10.1 Nursery establishment and seedling production

5.10.2 Site preparation

5.10.3 Provision of transportation support

5.10.4 Provision of security

5.11 Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

5.11.1 Development and transfer of appropriate technologies

5.11.2 Information, Education and Communication

5.12 Department of Justice (DOJ)

5.12.1 Nursery  establishment and production of planting materials

5.12.2 Provision of transportation

5.13 National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)

5.13.1 Mobilization of participation of indigenous peoples

5.13.2 Identification of sites for NGP inside ancestral domains

5.13.3 Supervision of forest protection activities inside ancestral domains

5.14 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)

5.14.1 Technical assistance in products development

5.15 Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)

5.15.1 Provision of funds for seedling production and other related activities of the NGP

5.16 All other government agencies, instrumentalities, including government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), shall provide full support and assistance to the NGP.

Section 6. Implementing Guidelines. All participating agencies/ institutions, within fifteen (15) days from the date of this Executive Order, shall issue their respective guidelines to implement the NGP, copy furnished the NGP Oversight Committee.

Section 7. Funding Mechanisms. Funds needed for the implementation of the NGP for the current year shall be provided by the DBM and funding for the succeeding years shall be incorporated in the regular appropriation of participating agencies.

Section 8. Separability Clause. Any portion or provision of this Executive Order that maybe declared unconstitutional shall not have the effect of nullifying other provisions hereof, as long as such remaining portions can still subsist and can be given effect in their entirety.

Section 9. Repealing Clause. All rules and regulations and other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Executive Order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 10. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 24th day of February, in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Eleven.

(SGD.)BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines

(SGD.) PAQUITO N.  OCHOA, JR.
Executive Secretary