At least 50,000 trees are expected to be planted in the coming months after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) included tree planting as a requirement for franchise application.
This was after the LTFRB released on Friday, Nov. 20, its Memorandum Circular 2020-076 which included mandatory tree planting as a new part of the application of franchise.
The circular stemmed from the recommendation of LTFRB Region 2 Director Edward Cabase to include basic tree planting program in the requirements for applying for the franchise of cooperatives or even individuals.
The plan was recognized by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade in a statement made following his inspection of the effects of the massive flooding in Cagayan due to Typhoon Ulysses.
According to the LTFRB, at least 50,000 trees are set to be planted in the first three months of the implementation of the new policy which will begin on December 1.
Under the memorandum, applicants of new Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC), which has at least 10 units, are required to plant at least one tree for each unit they apply for.
Corporations and cooperatives applying for an extension of the validity of their CPC, regardless of their unit, are also required to plant one tree for each unit they apply for.
"After the first three months, all applicants with less than 10 units are included," the LTFRB added.
Operators are also expected to contact their respective local government unit (LGU) or nearby office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the location of their tree-planting activity.
The LGU or DENR will then provide proof of compliance which will be included in the documents that should be submitted in the application.