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In Australia, a company called TreeChain Network implemented a global tree planting campaign in which they have to plant 110 million trees in 11 hours. Blockchain technology helps them in building a platform with the "Proof of Trees" protocol that helped the tree planting be effective and with that, their goal is to plant 11 billion trees and digitize more than 1,500 billion trees globally. The company aims to continue improving and creating Treemaps (TreeChain Maps) in order to make our planet a better place to live in.

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The goal of SDG 15 is to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Based on the graphs shown, there has been an increase of trees lost in 2014 and it seems to be decreasing as time goes by. The employees of the National Irrigation Administration joined a planting activity in various dam watersheds. They were able to plant 500 rambutan and duhat seedlings at a 6,000-square meter area in Upper Tabuating watershed. In other areas, they were able to plant 1500 seedlings of bayog bamboo, coffee, teak, palosapis, yakal and dungon. With the help of trees, we are able to prevent floods and live in a safer environment.

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The graph above shows the total waste that have been disposed from hospitals

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With the help of social media, we can spread news of projects such as the Eco-Bricks that can allow people to start helping in the comfort of their own homes yet still helping their fellow Filipinos. This may be a small gesture but it can create a huge impact especially those who are in need.

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This shows how they implemented the Eco-Bricks project and how it helped with their problem of waste management.

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Rows of colorful flowers made from recycled plastic bottles would greet Azaleah Pascual every time she walked around her home barangay in Cabanatuan City. There was not a piece of trash or plastic straw in sight.

However, taking a leisurely stroll around Barangay Pagas was quite different today compared to seven years ago.

"Dati, hindi naman masyadong napapansin yung Pagas. Ngayon, nakakatuwa na nag-improve na, maraming nangyari, marami na ring achievements. Nakatutuwa lang na maraming natulungan," Azaleah, a young resident, said regarding the drastic changes that occurred through the time that passed. (Barangay Pagas was seldom noticed before. Today, it's elating that a lot has changed and improved on top of achievements. It brings joy to know that many benefited from them.)

After traversing through the busy and tricycle-congested streets of Cabanatuan, one would reach the city's green lung and pride in disaster preparedness: a low-lying barangay directly facing the Pampanga river, equipped to face the atrocities climate change is posing-Barangay Pagas, Azaleah's home.
Reinventing Solid Waste Management
Barangay chairman Christopher Lee recalled that they faced a number of obstacles in laying out their vision of an eco-friendly barangay back in 2013. The prominent problem they encountered, he shared, was that the people were uninformed about proper waste management and existing ordinances.

"Napakarami nating batas, napakarami nating ordinansa pero sa totoo lang ay kulang ng implementation," the barangay captain said, highlighting that Republic Act 9003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act still lacks implementation almost two decades after it was signed as a law. (We have many laws and ordinances, but, honestly, the enforcement is lacking.)

Fueled by their motivation to protect their environment, Lee, together with the local government unit (LGU) of Pagas crafted a plan to implement solid waste management properly. They started with educating their constituents about solid waste management and taught them ways of segregating garbage.

The administration also established five (5) Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) which are used by its four (4) puroks which receive, separate, and prepare recyclable materials in preparation for its shipment to recyclers.

Just recently, the barangay launched its project "Eco-Bricks." In this program, households were asked to fill plastic bottles with other plastics ranging from shampoo sachets and toothpaste containers as a way to minimize waste, leaving only residual waste or the solid waste materials that are neither compostable nor recyclable, to be collected by the city's garbage collection system.

Armed with good governance and strict ordinances, Pagas LGU succeeded in its vision to strengthen the practice of waste segregation and disposal.

Last 2018, Pagas won the search for the Cleanest and Greenest LGU (Model Barangay on Ecological Solid Waste Management) in Region III by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
There is gold in rubbish
Pagas's strategy in solid waste management does not only cleanse the barangay but also benefits its students. Many households donate their kalakal ( recyclable materials) to the LGU. The local government then sells the collected recyclables and uses the proceeds to give financial assistance to the students who live in the barangay.

According to Lee, 160 students have been assisted by the program. Now that the course of education shifted due to the pandemic, he said that they are using the P180,000 proceeds of the collection last year to donate supplies needed for distance learning.

Azaleah is among the scholars of the barangay. She said the financial assistance that the Pagas local government provided greatly helped its beneficiaries as it lessens the parents' expenditure in their children's education.
Coping with Nature's Wrath
Being a low-lying area in the city, barangay Pagas developed a strategic disaster response to address the overflowing Pampanga River during typhoons.

The 53-hectare community of over 3,000 locals, is complete with equipment, facilities, and proper training for the citizens of the village. "Kailangang i-train hindi lamang ang mga rescuer, kung hindi pati ang buong barangay," Lee said as he shared their system in disaster response. (Everyone in the barangay must be trained, not only the rescuers.)

Utilizing a siren that can be heard by the whole community, the administration was able to provide its people warnings and instruction: one long blast means that there is an impending disaster, two long blasts mean that everybody should prepare to evacuate, and three long blasts mean that one should stay inside because the situation outside is too dangerous.

Because of this, Barangay Pagas reigns, for the fifth consecutive year since 2015, as the Gawad Kalasag Regional Awardee, an annual award given by the Office of Civil Defense in search of outstanding contribution in the fields of disaster risk reduction and management and humanitarian assistance. Pagas extends disaster preparedness to other communities by conducting trainings.

Lee expressed concern regarding climate change which causes stronger calamities that directly affect the country and barangay Pagas in particular, adding that it is a huge problem and the people are bound to feel extreme aftermaths if they are not going to learn to unite.

He added that the education received by the youth should include disaster preparedness training as it will serve as an eye-opener for them.

For Pagas, encouraging other communities to give more attention to the environment is the next move. Progress is always the aim of this barangay and discipline has always been the key. The barangay has come this far, and they will reach farther distance and achieve greater heights in their quest for a sustainable, prepared, and eco-friendly community.*
This article was written and prepared by Klyde Charles Painor (Student-Journalist) and Anna Kristel Cuevas (School Paper Adviser) from Honorato C. Perez, Sr. Memorial Science High School, Division of Cabanatuan City as a final output of DepEd-DRRMS and AYEJ.org's Green Beat Initiative: An Online Environmental Journalism Training.

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How a calamity-prone barangay in Cabanatuan managed to combat Climate Change

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Rows of colorful flowers made from recycled plastic bottles would greet Azaleah Pascual every time she walked around her home barangay in Cabanatuan City. There was not a piece of trash or plastic straw in sight. However, taking a leisurely stroll around Barangay Pagas was quite different today compared to seven years ago.

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The goal of SDG 12 is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Without this, the world may suffer from environmental damage and natural resource exploitation. One of the factors that contribute to this is poor waste management. Poor waste management can affect the health of the people in the community yet put their homes in danger as well. Cabanatuan City is a flood-prone area. The barangay captain chairman Christopher Lee implemented its project called “Eco-Bricks.” Eco-Bricks are waste-filled plastic bottles in which they are to be collected by the city’s garbage collection system. Waste can range from sachets to toothpaste containers in order to reduce the waste that is seen around.

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- The annual regular revenue of Cabanatuan for the fiscal year of 2016 was ₱1,169,351,998.74.

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- Cabanatuan City is the tricycle capital of the Philippines

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- Roman Catholic is the most prominent religion
- Iglesia ni Cristo and Other Religious Affiliations are also seen in the region of Central Luzon
- Evangelicals is the least prominent religion however still present in the region

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- Cabanatuan was formed as Barrio of Gapan in 1750. In 1780, it became a municipality and capital of La Provincia de Nueva Ecija.
- In 1850, Cabanatuan lost its title of the provincial capital, instead, it was moved to San Isidro.
- In 1917, Cabanatuan City restored its title of the provincial capital
- 1965, the title of provincial capital was handed over to Palayan City
- During World War II, the Japanese built a prison camp where many American soldiers were imprisoned
- January 1945: the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion marched 30 miles to rescue prisoners (Raid of Cabanatuan)
- Obtained the freedom of 500 American POWs and celebrated
- February 1945: American and Philippine armies re-established military general headquarters and military camp bases (during the Allied Liberation)

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Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija History - Tourist Spots - Festivals | Philippines Cities. (2013). Philippinescities.com. https://philippinescities.com/cabanatuan-city-nueva-ecija/

Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija Profile – PhilAtlas. (1990, May). Philatlas.com. https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/r03/nueva-ecija/cabanatuan.html

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Galang, A. (2021, June 26). More trees, bamboo planted in NE dam watersheds. Punto! Central Luzon. https://punto.com.ph/more-trees-bamboo-planted-in-ne-dam-watersheds/

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How a calamity-prone barangay in Cabanatuan managed to combat Climate Change | Department of Education Regional Office III. (2013). Deped.gov.ph. https://region3.deped.gov.ph/how-a-calamity-prone-barangay-in-cabanatuan-managed-to-combat-climate-change/

‌Ilker Koksal. (2019, June 28). How Technology Helps to Plant Billions of New Trees and Improve Earth’s Environment. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ilkerkoksal/2019/06/28/how-technology-helps-to-plant-billions-of-new-trees-and-improve-earths-environment/?sh=2176e4156963

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‌League of Cities of the Philippines - Cabanatuan City. (2014). Lcp.org.ph. https://lcp.org.ph/92/cabanatuan-city

robert.wickramatunga. (2021). Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land. Unoosa.org. https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/space4sdgs/sdg15.html

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What is the goal here? (n.d.). https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/12_Why-It-Matters-2020.pdf

‌(2020, August 27). In the Philippines, medical waste piles up as COVID-19 cases rise. Earth Journalism Network; EJN. https://earthjournalism.net/stories/in-the-philippines-medical-waste-piles-up-as-covid-19-cases-rise

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- According to the last national census 2020, Cabanatuan City  has a population of 327,325
- This represents 14.17% of the total population of Nueva Ecija province and 2.64% of the total population of  Central Luzon

- Based on the 2015 census, the highest population is 15-19 years old with 30,458 inhabitants while the lowest is 80 and over with 2,321 inhabitants

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- Cabanatuan City is located in Central Luzon (Region III) in  the province of Nueva Ecija
- Has a land area of 282.75 square kilometers which makes up 4.97% of Nueva Ecija's total area.