Germany grants P68M to Negros Occidental's forestry program

The German government has granted P68 million to some local government units in Negros Occidental to develop a forestry management program. A Visayan Daily Star report on Saturday said the recipients of the funds are the municipalities of Ilog, Candoni, Kabankalan, with the program set to start within this year. The report also said Germany has allocated another P20.6 million for other projects in the province. The Gesellschaft für Internaionale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) said it also plans to focus on the management of integrated coastal resources, solid wastes, and climate change. Also, the GIZ has programs in the province that focus on good governance and decentralization. Moreover, the GIZ said its P68-million grant for the development of a forestry management program in some parts of Negros Occidental will run until 2015. Also ongoing is a P16.6-million grant for natural resources management in the towns of Ilog, Candoni, and Cauayan, according to the GIZ. The grant will end in 2012. The GIZ also said P2 million has been allocated for a decentralization program and a comprehensive land use planning in some areas of the province. The grant started last year and will end in 2011. Another P2 million has also been earmarked for the management and development of some coastal fisheries resources in Negros Occidental. — JE/LBG, GMA News