TARLAKENYO — State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Provincial Government of Tarlac announced the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the former donating P5.39 million to jump-start reforestation activities in San Jose, Tarlac town and mitigate local flooding risks.
Under the DBP Forest Program (DFP), the bank’s funding empowers the local government to plant 22,440 native and fruit-bearing trees that includes narra, palosapis, Benguet pine, lauan, tamarind, and duhat across at least 100 hectares of open and degraded grasslands and forestlands. Once mature, the forest is expected to absorb about 449 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year and strengthen natural buffers against erosion and flooding.
Tarlac Governor Christian Yap thanked the state-owned bank and stated that the reforestation project presents new opportunities for the province.
“Maraming salamat po, DBP, sa inyong tiwala at pakikipagtulungan. Patuloy tayong magbubukas ng mga oportunidad para sa mas luntian at mas maunlad na Tarlac,” Yap said.
DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael De Jesus noted that the initiative builds a more resilient ecosystem to reduce provincial flood risks and provides livelihood opportunities for roughly 100 upland residents in Sitio Tala, Barangay Burgos, in San Jose by supporting their production, cultivation, and establishment of small-scale plant nurseries.
The reforestation project, in partnership with the Burgos Upland Farmers Association, will be supported through continued technical and operational assistance, replacement planting, agroforestry, seedling production, monitoring, and maintenance to improve plantation survival and ensure sustained site protection.
Established in 2005, the bank’s flagship DBP Forest Program protects critical forest areas, watersheds, and coastal zones. By the end of September 2026, DBP had released P124.98 million across 57 projects, successfully planting 6.74 million seedlings over 6,545 hectares nationwide.
