Mango, Jatropha plantations to sprout at Guinsaugon landslide area

By ERNA SY GORNE (PIA Southern Leyte)
October 11, 2007

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte  –  What used to be a barren and covered with mud, Barangay Guinsaugon shall rise to become a vast plantation of mangoes and Jatropha five years from now, as Congressman Roger G. Mercado led the former residents plant thousands of Jatropha and mango seedlings last September 2007, this was learned from Congressman Roger G. Mercado of the Lone District of Southern Leyte said in an interview with PIA-Maasin City this week.

Congressman Mercado disclosed that some three thousand Jatropha and two thousand mango seedlings were planted all over the landslide stricken Barangay Guinsaugon in St. Bernard that buried a thousand of barangay residents last February 2006.

He further disclosed that residents themselves agreed to plant the mentioned seedlings at the deserted barangay, which they could claim the harvest of jatropha and mangoes production planted at their respective lots.

The Congressman anchored his present administration for the development of the province on three priority programs namely: Tourism, Agriculture and Environment.

He earlier mentioned that rehabilitation of the 14,000 hectares – Southern Leyte Resettlement Project at Hinunangan, which already takes off and that the development program includes the massive planting of coconut, coffee, abaca, jatropha, palm trees and fruit trees. Pessimistic with the expected bountiful production of said trees could warrant for the establishment of processing plants in the locality in the near future.

While, another reforestation project initiated by Congressman Mercado, is also in the offing at Silago forest areas where a people’s organization managed to undertake the rehabilitation of the sprawling area with hard wood and fruit trees.