Philippine Arbor Day, Is there such a day?
Yes, there is.
The Philippine Arbor Day is June 25.
Arbor day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees.
A substantial number of countries observe this holiday. The date of this holiday varies among countries. This holiday is usually observed during the planting season.
Planting season defers among countries.
In the Philippines, Arbor day is a yearly event for local government units.
There is a law in the Philippines called the Arbor Day Act of 2012.
This law revives the observance of arbor day by authorizing the local government units the responsibilities for celebrating the day of tree planting as an annual event.
Each Province, City, or Municipality through its law-making body, the sanggunian, may pass an ordinance to determine the date of the arbor day or tree planting day in their respective jurisdiction.
Every Province, City, or Municipality may have a different arbor day or tree planting day.
Under the law, all able-bodied Filipinos of the Philippines who are at least 12 years of age are required to plant 1 tree every year but there is no prohibition on planting more.
They can not plant the tree in any place they want.
The law requires that the tree planting activities shall be done in any of the following areas:
- Public school grounds, gardens, or other available areas within the school premises
- Idle or vacant public lands
- Public parks in an urban and rural areas
- Private schools, parks, and lands with the consent of the owner thereof
Who will provide the seedlings to be planted you might ask?
The Bureau of Plant Industry in coordination with the Philippine Coconut Authority shall supply and distribute the seedlings to the Provinces, Cities, or Municipalities for the Tree Planting Program.
The Bureau of Plant Industry will supply and distribute the seedlings but the
Sanggunian of the Province, City, or Municipality shall provide for the allocation of
resources.
To make it clear, arbor day or celebration of tree planting day is not a national
holiday. It means work in the government and the private sectors are not suspended.
It is a local government event as proclaimed by The Governor of a Province or the
Mayor of a City or Municipality through an ordinance passed by their respective local sanggunian.
Sanggunian is the local elective officials in the Philippines who have the power to
propose, enact, repeal or amend a local law.