MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will plant three million trees covering 4,000 hectares of land in the next four years and initiate a river restoration project for flood mitigation in Rizal province.

In a situation briefing led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Antipolo City Friday, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said her agency is planning a “targeted reforestation” in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape and introduce three million trees in its vegetated areas.

She said about 85 percent of the protected landscape is still covered in forest cover and vegetation.

“What we want to do is programmatically approach tree-planting,” she said.

DENR Undersecretary Carlos David said the agency would work with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to promote water impoundment structure and restore rivers in the province.

During the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Enteng, he said the Upper Wawa Dam in Rodriguez town helped hold back floodwaters that in the past would go down to San Mateo, also in Rizal, and Marikina City.

“So, proper land use planning, restoration of our ecological integrity, and the combination of structures that DPWH has planned, will, I think, solve the flooding issues in the area,” he said.

The tropical storm brought in a huge volume of rainwater on Rizal, setting off floods and landslides that killed 12 and left three missing.

Around 8,036 families or 31,677 persons were also affected by Enteng in the province.

At the briefing, Marcos ordered the sustained coordination between the national and the local government to ensure the swift distribution of aid to affected residents.

“Continue the coordination between the national agencies and the LGUs with DENR, with Public Works para ‘yung ating ginagawa like if there are specific concerns that we can address them as quickly as possible (so that if there are specific concerns, we can address them as quickly as possible),” he said.

He said special concerns should be addressed immediately as it would only mean there are areas, or a group of people or community, that still needs immediate attention from the government.

“So, we have to do something special for them,” he said.

The President also ordered the DENR to work with the DPWH for the clearing operations in areas affected by the typhoon. (PNA)