COTABATO CITY—Different Bangsamoro cooperatives gathered in the coastal areas of Kalanganan II of this city to join the Cooperative and Social Enterprise Authority’s (CSEA) Mangrove tree planting activity on Thursday, Oct. 13.
In line with October’s Cooperative Month celebration, the activity aimed to help the Bangsamoro Government’s efforts in mitigating and reducing the risks of climate change in the region.
In partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE), City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), and the 10 city-registered cooperatives, the activity enabled the participants to plant a total of 200 seedlings of Mangroves which also provide a habitat for fish, crabs, shellfish, birds, reptiles, and a natural defense against storm surges, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding.
CSEA Administrator Samcia Ibrahim said the celebration of cooperatives is anchored in the current trend of environmental care and protection. She encouraged wider participation of all sectors of society in nation-building through ‘cooperativism’.
“This a joint activity as we celebrate the Cooperative Month in a pro-environment called Kooperatiba para sa Kalikasan,” Ibrahim said.
“I am encouraging our Bangsamoro cooperatives to join together for our call to plant Mangroves or provide any initiatives to combat the effect of the alarming problem of climate change,” she added.
Meanwhile, Cotabato City Administrator Atty. Aelan Arumpac recognized the efforts of CSEA-BARMM, MENRE, and other participating cooperatives in the city in promoting programs and services related to environmental protection and care.
“As we celebrate the Cooperative Month, we should always remember that we all derived from our nature, and to all of us here who participated in this planting activity, it only signifies our utmost desire of caring, protecting, and loving our environment,” Arumpac noted. (Kasan Usop, Jr./BIO)
