Hann allots P5-M for Sasmuan mangrove rehab
Sasmuan Mayor Catalina Cabrera and HFI Executive Director Ana Christi Galura sign the MOA for the rehabilitation of the town’s mangrove forests. HFI is allotting P5 million for the project.
By Joey Pavia
CLARK FREEPORT – The Hann Foundation Inc. (HFI) has allotted P5 million for the rehabilitation of the mangrove forests in Sasmuan town, Pampanga.
The Sasmuan local government unit (LGU), led by Mayor Catalina Cabrera, and HFI, represented by Executive Director Ana Christi Galura, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on April 16 during the KapiHann press conference at Swissotel. The event was hosted by the Pampanga Press Club (PPC) in cooperation with Hann Resorts.
Cabrera, in an interview, expressed her elation over the partnership with HFI.
“We welcome this partnership. We are happy l about it. We are one in rehabilitating our forests,” she said.
Under the agreement, rehabilitation efforts will begin in May 2025.
The project, titled Sasmuan BakaONE, aims to rehabilitate the mangrove forests in the Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area. This will involve the construction of a Bamboo Earth Dike and the planting of suitable mangrove species in strategic locations, based on mangrove assessments and recommended planting zones.
It was also disclosed that a mangrove nursery will be established in Barangay Batang 2nd, a coastal village of Sasmuan. The nursery will provide sufficient seedlings for the reforestation efforts.
The project also includes the purchase of equipment and furnishings to support similar initiatives aimed at protecting and preserving the coastal wetlands of Sasmuan.
